A Sorta Fairytale Arc
by Daimeryan Rei
Summary: Puzzleshipping-centric arc, from their relationship to starting a family, dealing with children, to the ups and downs of life, with the support of their friends and loved ones. Fluffy, sappy, and a bit of angst and a little drama now and then.
1. Chapter 1

(The following fic is the first in a sort of 'mini arc' of 5 fics in total, according to these prompts: 29. Birth 28. Children 24. Family 27. Parents 30. Death, as according to the rules of the LiveJournalFanFic100 Community (write 100 fanfics around your characters and/or fandom of choice with help of a list of prompts). This mini-arc contains mainly sappy and fluffy scenes, as well as a little angst and drama. It also contains shounen ai and a minor and major character death- please refer to the author's notes of each fic for appropriate summary and warnings. Thank you and happy reading! Feedback is greatly appreciated : ))

A Sorta Fairytale 

Title: A Sorta Fairytale, pt. 1 – "On my Way"  
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!  
Characters: Yami no Yuugi (Atemu) & Mutou Yuugi  
Prompt: # 29 Birth  
Word Count: 14.302  
Rating: PG  
Summary: After almost three years of waiting, the Mutou family finally welcomes a baby girl in their midst.  
Author's Notes: End of series "fix-it". Characters are around 20 years of age. Shounen ai. Made up name for Yuugi's mother: "Yusuke". Minor character death!

Key : ------------ scene change

* * *

"See ya tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow!" Mutou Yuugi waved enthusiastically back to his best friend, Jounouchi Katsuya, as the taller, rather casually dressed boy put up his hand to wave his goodbye. Yuugi adjusted the strap of his rather heavy backpack- sometimes he thought he'd never get used to the weight, even though it was his second year of university already. With a smile still on his face and a rather stuffed feeling - he never could get enough of Fujikawa's sushi platter and always ended up eating way too much -, he headed for home.

It had become a tradition to have lunch once a week at Fujikawa's, as Yuugi and Jounouchi didn't see each other every day anymore, unlike in their high school days when they shared classes and spend a large part of the day together and with their other friends. Sometimes Yuugi longed for those days even though his memories of school weren't really his favorites; he knew he was longing for reliving those intense moments of everyone still together, the gang of friends, bond unbreakable.

He knew that their bond was still there, but it was daunting to realize how quick and how far their paths had parted after their graduation from Domino High. Jounouchi hadn't even considered going to college or university- he immediately searched for and found a job as a mechanic. He loved working with his hands, and restoring old American cars quickly became his specialty, developing a surprising amount of patience and eye for detail in his line of work. As soon as he was able, he moved out of the apartment he had to share with his father, establishing a life of his own, while his reputation in the field of car restoration took a flight, causing people to search him out to handle the most classic of cars.

Jounouchi's patience with old cars was as surprising as Honda's announcement to go to university. Everyone had assumed that, seeing his previous school results, he'd be looking for a job as well- preferably something with bikes, his greatest passion. Yuugi snickered a little; who would've guessed that Honda was just as passionately about his dream of opening his own store and importing bikes from all over the world, even considering setting up and sponsoring his own racing team? As far as Yuugi knew, Honda did quite well in the classes he was taking, and his friend was serious about his plans.

Yuugi heaved a small sigh, before he moved to the left, turning around the corner. It was already two years since Anzu left for New York to study dance, chasing her own dreams. He was very happy that she already managed to get that far in such a short amount of time- it almost seemed like yesterday when she was pacing nervously back and forth, awaiting the results of her audition. He missed her -they'd been inseparable for so long-, and was extremely grateful for e-mail and text messages to keep in touch personally. She maintained a web log for everyone else to see and interact about the daily grind of her life in the United States, adoring each and every comment from her friends.

Shizuka, Jounouchi's younger sister, was still in high school as she was quite a few years younger, and she'd made big plans about becoming a beautician or a veterinarian, depending on her mood. Otogi Ryuuji was also going to university, taking MBA classes and somehow still able to combine it with work at his own game store, a continuous flock of fan girls around him and designing new games, mostly based on his earlier invention of Dungeon Dice Monsters.

The Kame Game Shop was already in sight, its bright yellow and green colors unmistakable. Yuugi had hardly realized the unique layout of the building before, especially compared to the bland apartment buildings and thirteen-in-a-dozen houses surrounding it. Its structure on the inside was even more unique; Yuugi didn't know any other house with the kitchen and living room on the first floor, a bathroom on the ground floor and the typical construction of the bedrooms and the -much later - added attic, where his bedroom was. He loved the house, and loved receiving his friends there... if only everyone wasn't so extremely busy with the new turn their lives had taken.

Even people Yuugi didn't know well but counted as his friends were busy; people like Kaiba, who dropped completely out of school to concentrate on his business, and Kujaku Mai, who disappeared and popped up in Domino City whenever she felt like it. Bakura Ryou had, after their last endeavor in Egypt, reverted into the rather silent student he once used to be, and retreated into the background as ever before. No matter how much Yuugi tried, he had to finally accept that Bakura would always be a little distant, reserved in his own way- and he often asked himself if he hadn't done enough to help Bakura when he was still in possession of the Sennen Ring. He still regarded him as a friend, and greeted him every time when he saw him at the university; Yuugi always forgot what Bakura was studying, but it was something difficult, something with socio-psychology.

* * *

"I'm hooome! Mou hitori no boku!" Yuugi had gone through the front door this time; usually he simply went through the Game Shop to greet his grandfather first. The elderly man had been having health issues lately, so it was often Yuugi's other Self who ran the small store- and today wasn't an exception, as his mother's voice rang out to him: "Atemu-san is in the store, Yuugi-kun!" She was standing at the top of the stairs with a laundry basket in her arms. "How was your day at school, dear?"

"Fine, kaa-san," Yuugi answered, looking up the stairs. He knew his mother was rather proud of him that he finally had taken up his studies; she'd been afraid he would waste his time with playing and gaming. Mutou Yusuke was very protective of her son, and had set out a path for him he didn't exactly agree with all the time, though he'd never forget her relieved and enthusiastic reaction when he told her he was going to study. She was convinced that only a good education would enable one to accomplish their goals in life, and she was disappointed at first when he took a year off after high school. Now that he was studying, with rather good grades to boot -Atemu shared her opinion of a good education, and all but forced him to do his homework-, she was content, even though it wasn't exactly the study she had in mind for him. It had taken Yuugi quite some cajoling before convincing his mother that he didn't want to do any business education. No way was he going to turn into his father.

"How's jii-chan doing?" Yuugi asked, going up the stairs and taking the basket from his mother's arms. No matter how unique the layout of the house combined with the store was, it sometimes was a little illogical- the connections for the washer and dryer machines were on the ground floor, and therefore made for some annoying trips up and down the stairs while carrying heavy laundry baskets.

"He's doing all right, Yuugi-kun," she said, smiling at her son. "He ate very well today and even wanted to go back to the store!"

"Jii-chan always overestimates himself," Yuugi said, though not scolding. His grandfather was over seventy-seven now, and his health wasn't as it used to be. He still worked at the Game Shop, but only on the quiet hours and busied himself with rather non-exerting chores. "He should really be resting instead of working..."

"Well, why don't you try to tell him," his mother answered dryly, following him down the stairs. Yuugi merely chuckled in response; both knowing that the effort wasn't worth the trouble- Mutou Suguroku could be a very, very stubborn man. She took the basket back as soon as she was downstairs, chiding Yuugi a little. "Go see Atemu-san, dear. I'm merely keeping you."

"Thanks, kaa-san," he grinned at her before turning away, all but running through the hallway and pushing open the door that separated the house from the store.

Silently, he snuck into the store- it was small and rectangular, packed with merchandise, and the counter was almost as large as the whole width of the store- and Atemu was standing behind it, leafing through some papers as there were no customers at the moment. Yuugi's heart always seemed to swell up with pride and joy at even the smallest thought about his other- the former Pharaoh, the former spirit of the Sennen Puzzle, the former 'other Yuugi'. He was here now, in flesh and blood, he could be touched, he could be kissed… and he could be surprised, as he gave an almost indignant yelp as Yuugi ambushed him all ninja-like and wrapped his arms around his waist, whispering a "Boo!" into his ear.

"Aibou..!"

"Yes, that's me," Yuugi said happily, waiting for Atemu to turn around and wrap his arms around him in return. He didn't have to wait too long; he could barely purse his lips for a kiss before he felt Atemu's lips on his, gently kissing him. "You surprised me…"

"You have bad hearing. I wasn't that silent."

"I was concentrating on those packing lists…"

"It's okay, mou hitori no boku. Just kiss me."

Had it been really three years since Atemu made the decision to forsake his right to go to the Afterlife, three years after the Ceremonial Battle to set the Pharaoh's spirit free? It felt like forever, and Yuugi wanted nothing but it to last forever. His other Self, who inhibited the Sennen Puzzle to wait for the one to assemble it, to go on another quest to find his name and save the world from darkness and destruction, was with him- standing right here in front of him, after he begged the Gods for him to be turned into a mortal. They had listened and the Ceremonial Gate had closed again with a rumble; much to everyone's surprise- and relief. A lot of tears of happiness and joy followed- no one was going to part, no one was going to lose a friend and no one was sure which one cried the loudest: Atemu or Yuugi.

It didn't surprise anyone in the least; of course, that Atemu and Yuugi, already inseparable, lived together from the day after the Ceremonial Duel was cleared. It didn't surprise anyone either that Atemu's first purchase from his allowance was a ring for Yuugi. What _did_ surprise everyone was the giant fight they got into only a month after, even resulting into Yuugi leaving, to start traveling around the world for almost a year.

"Mmmm…." Yuugi moved his hand up a little, to trace the large golden earring Atemu was wearing. He enjoyed kissing and being kissed, and though many people would find it strange to kiss their look-alike, Yuugi simply couldn't get enough. Not many would find the other half of their soul, a soul mate beyond the borders of imagination, who had shared literally body and mind. This was someone who he would never give up on, someone who would never give up on _him,_ and this was where they both belonged- right next to each other's side. Yuugi put his hand on Atemu's cheek, cupping his face, staring at the crimson-red eyes with the dark long lashes, and felt at home- really at home.

Even if they were only twenty, they both had gone through a lot. Not many could claim to be a Pharaoh from Ancient Egypt who sacrificed himself to save the world from darkness, only to be brought back into the world three millennia later to repeat the whole process- minus the sacrifice at the end. Not many could claim to be the one acting like a vessel for said Pharaoh, and lived through the many adventures and quests to find the Pharaoh's name, dueling around the whole world. That was exactly the difficulty Yuugi encountered- though he had learned much from his adventures, from Atemu, he was still doubting himself and his abilities. He'd won the Ceremonial Battle, thus installing him as the King of Games, but even defeating the God Cards, defeating his most trusted monster, defeating the man he loved- it was too much, and he hated that he'd fallen down on his knees and cried like a little girl.

Yuugi had admired his Other for his strength, failing to realize the strength in himself, and wanted to find out on his own if he could make it in this world. He wanted to set out for more dueling tournaments and see how far he could get, not running after someone else, not dropping to his knees again. In his turn, Atemu had latched onto Yuugi, almost suffocating him, not knowing how to deal with his new-found life. He'd been a Pharaoh, and now he was expected to help in a Game Shop, to participate in the household, and he couldn't switch with Yuugi anymore if there was a situation not to his liking. On the outside, he could deal perfectly well with everything, his natural confidence guiding him, but on the inside, he was afraid of Yuugi leaving him, of not having a perfect grip on every situation, and he didn't know how to express himself but to hang onto Yuugi.

Their love for each other was unmistakable- it was suffocating, all-consuming and ever-present, but despite all the love, they both failed to understand each other, which finally escalated into a massive fight, prompting Yuugi to leave. Traveling around had always been one of Yuugi's biggest wishes, and he started to compete in large tournaments, wanting to prove to himself that he had the strength, that he could be on his own, trying to discover that inner strength that Atemu told him about, but that he couldn't seem to find. It took Yuugi only one day to realize he couldn't live without Atemu, and one week to finally cave in and ask him to accompany on his travels. By then, they both had gone sick from being apart from each other, and after their reunion they solemnly vowed to never, ever leave each other again like that.

"How was your day at university, aibou?" Atemu finally said, leaning into Yuugi's touch and mimicking him, cupping his face with his hand, fingers gently stroking his skin.

"Bwah, mostly boring," Yuugi answered. "Ishimu-sensei kept us for three hours, while his lecture had only been scheduled for two, and the man just can't keep anything interesting. It was one, long, boring monologue. I felt like I was listening to a record playing at 78 rpm…"

"You poor thing," Atemu laughed softly, pressing another kiss to his cheek. "Time for tea and biscuits?"

"Sounds wonderful! Oh, how was your day? Busy?"

"Not many customers, unfortunately… there was news from Ooshimuru, though."

Yuugi took in a deep gulp of breath. "What... what was the news?"

"They want to see me… ah, you of course, for some kind of meeting. I thought we had had all the intake interviews and counseling possible, but apparently…" Atemu's voice trailed off, and Yuugi heaved a sigh, shaking his head. When he looked up again, his smile was soft and a little weary.

"Mou hitori no boku…I wish I…"

"I know," he said, silencing him with a kiss on his lips, briefly tasting him. "I am happy to go see them, aibou. Now, how about that tea?"

Yuugi shook his head again, but knew better than to go against it. Ooshimuru was the name of the adoption agency they had approached when their wish for a family became stronger over time. It was a very well recommended and renowned adoption agency, but the procedures were long and time consuming, especially for a single parent like Yuugi- all the paperwork was done in his name, as Atemu wasn't a registered citizen. This was one of the occasions their similar appearance worked to their advantage- Atemu had been the one to do the endless process of interviews, meetings and psychological tests, all to prove he'd be fit as a parent. It was very beneficial to his cause that he could prove there was a mother and a grandfather -thus, more family for the to-be-adopted child, and that he had a rather tight circle of friends at his disposal to take care of the child should the need arise.

"Tea and biscuits," Yuugi repeated as he slowly, reluctantly, let go of Atemu. He was rewarded with a ruffle of his hair and protested, much to the other's amusement. "Mou hitori no boku! Stop that!"

* * *

A little sheepishly, Yuugi stared at the large sign in front of the university cafeteria, trying to decide what he was going to get to eat. Usually he took lunch with him from home, but today he'd forgotten to take it with him. That would get him at least half an hour worth of frowning at home… he heaved a small sigh. Before he could finally decide upon a dish, he heard his lunch partner approach- Otogi Ryuuji himself was silent, but his flock of fan girls wasn't. He had to suppress a laugh; it was always the same on Tuesday, when they had lunch together and discuss games and game development in general. The girls would sit close by, staring at the object of their affection, meanwhile giggling and sometimes pointing. The 'tradition' of these fan girls following him around seamlessly transferred from high school to university, and Otogi sure didn't seem to be bothered by it, even though it was often object of teasing comments.

"Good afternoon, Otogi-kun," Yuugi said pleasantly, turning around to greet him.

"Yuugi-kun! It's not often that I see you study the cafeteria's lunch menu. Did you already decide what to get?"

"No, not yet. Why don't you order something for the both of us?" He asked, knowing that Otogi was far more acquainted with the dishes and the way they were prepared here.

"Sure! I'll get us something to eat, while you find us a nice place to sit!"

The cafeteria was rather large and there were some tables available at the window; Yuugi immediately claimed one, putting his heavy bag on the chair, stretching a little. Tuesdays were the best days of the school week- not only did he finish early; he also had interesting classes and lunch with one of his friends. He didn't mind the girls who were hording the tables next to him, it merely amused him. A few had looked at him as well, a long time ago- but he only had to put up his hand to show the ring on his finger to make them loose interest. Yuugi never paid much attention to the rumors- that everyone had seen him with a ring, but never with a girlfriend at his side, and some pranksters even gossiped that he himself had bought the ring, just to pretend- he really couldn't care less about them.

It didn't take long for Otogi to show up at their table, balancing two trays. Yuugi immediately rose to take one of the trays, placing it in front of him. "That looks delicious!"

"Wait until you tasted it- unlike many other universities, this cafeteria is one of the best!"

"You should know," Yuugi said a little teasingly, taking up his chopsticks. For one reason, Otogi had always made a far more cosmopolitan impression than everyone else Yuugi knew- a man of the world, even though Yuugi had traveled farther and more than him. It was just something in his attitude that made Otogi simply Otogi, and a good friend to boot.

"How are things going at home?"

"Fine, as usual," Yuugi answered. "Mou hitori no boku made me lunch today, but I forgot it."

"Atemu-san doesn't seem the kind of housewife to me," Otogi said, laughing.

"Oh, don't get any wrong ideas," Yuugi answered, flashing an impish grin. "Mou hitori no boku is judge, jury, nurse, business manager and state trooper at the same time. He keeps track of everything and takes care of everything. Thanks to him, the store remains open for customers, jii-chan takes his medication, kaa-san never forgets anything anymore and I do my homework."

"Your grandfather is sick, Yuugi-kun?" Otogi asked, using his chopsticks to help himself to some noodles.

"N… no, not really. Well... it's his age," Yuugi answered him, saddening a little. "He's very often tired, and lately he wasn't feeling very well. The doctor said he should take it easy because of his heart."

Otogi nodded. "What's his age again?"

"Seventy-seven, he'll be seventy-eight in a few days," Yuugi said, about to take another bite, when suddenly a ring tone was heard- not too loud, but unmistakably close.

"Hey, my cell phone…" Yuugi put his chopsticks down, fumbling for his phone in his backpack. Otogi looked bemused at him, not even taking the effort of checking if it was his own cell phone- both already knew who would be calling. Atemu always either called or send a text message during lunch time and Otogi still had to live through the day that the former Pharaoh would forget about it. He paid attention to his own lunch and opened one of his text books, giving Yuugi some privacy to hold his conversation. The fan girls at the surrounding tables had finally learned that Otogi wanted to be left alone when he was having lunch with Yuugi; after all, he saw the fan girls almost 24/7, and Yuugi only a few times a week. His lips curled into a smile when catching a glimpse of Yuugi's blush, even though the other was keeping his voice down- only to be completely caught off guard when Yuugi exclaimed a loud "Really? For real? REALLY?"

Even the fan girls looked quizzical at Yuugi's outburst, and a few other students in the cafeteria turned around, trying to locate the source of the noise. Yuugi was stammering at the phone, speech barely comprehensible, and Otogi lifted his eyebrows while he reached for his soda. Finally, Yuugi was finished, bearing such a brilliant smile that Otogi needed sunglasses when looking at him, lest he be blinded.

"Well, that must've been really good news," he commented dryly, taking a sip of his drink.

"We're pregnant!" Yuugi announced, barely ducking in time to avoid Otogi's spit-take of soda, spewing all over the table.

"Dear gods, Yuugi!" Otogi quickly wiped his mouth, then scrambled for napkins- his troupe of fan girls came in handy, as fast as they were in offering him heavily perfumed handkerchiefs, napkins and more table linen. "You can't be serious! What…"

It dawned to him while he was dabbing at his face before taking care of the mess on the table. "That's really great! So you're finally approved for the adoption procedure?"

"We were approved a while ago, but still," Yuugi said, lending a helping hand and cleaning off the rest of the liquid, using a paper napkin. "Mou hitori no boku constantly had to go back to the office for interviews, meetings and the like."

"Well, it's very logical to do a very careful and thorough screening," Otogi said as he finished cleaning, throwing everything away in the nearby trashcan. "Kids need a stable and warm family, not someone who thinks it'd be fun to have a kid around and unable to provide them with everything they need."

"Yes, you're right, but the process was killing us," Yuugi answered, sobering up. "All the effort, the trouble... and we still didn't know if we were eligible to be able to get a child through adoption. When we were finally approved, we thought we made the selection, that we were finished… but then we had to wait and wait."

"All your waiting certainly has paid itself off," Otogi smiled. "Congratulations, Yuugi-kun!"

"We already know it's a girl," Yuugi beamed, lunch completely forgotten. He almost trembled from the excitement- they had been waiting for almost three years for this news. The matter of children had only briefly been discussed between them- both Atemu and Yuugi wanted children, and for the former Pharaoh adoption was the most logical solution, seeing as they were both male. Yuugi on the other hand sometimes wished that he'd been able to carry a child, a 'real' child from both of them- but he realized and knew that it wasn't an option.

"Way to go Yuugi-kun," Otogi congratulated him again. He shuddered at the thought of kids, and frankly thought that Yuugi with his barely 20 years was too young for the responsibility. Otogi knew however, that it was one of his best friend's greatest wishes, and who was he to object? He was sure that the child would be welcomed in a loving, caring family, with more warmth and stability than he'd ever experienced himself.

"Mou hitori no boku wants me to think of a name," Yuugi smiled dreamily. "It's going to be a most beautiful name!"

"Without a doubt," Otogi answered airily, "but ehm... you don't forget about _our_ plans, do you?"

"Oh no, of course not!" Yuugi frantically shook his head, picking up his chopsticks for the umpteenth time and putting them down again. Otogi didn't take all those business classes for nothing- he had lots of experience with his own store, The Black Crown, but he was aiming for expansion and at least designing other games besides Dungeon Dice Monsters. Yuugi immediately had offered to help him with game designs, formats and even programming. "In fact, I had some time left after I was finished with my assignments. Here…"

Yuugi rummaged again in his backpack, pulling out a wad of papers and a notebook. "Some basic code for the Dungeon Dice Monsters handheld game… broken down to the core structure, of course."

Otogi took the notebook from him and leafed through it, needing only a few seconds to reach the conclusion that it was excellent work.

"Yuugi-kun, you're brilliant," Otogi sighed, turning over another page. "If it weren't for Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp. going to fight all over you, I would've loved to have you working for me."

"What do you mean, 'fight all over me'?" Yuugi asked, dumbfounded.

Otogi grinned. "You're a genius when it comes to game design and development. I was merely brainstorming about the idea to turn DDM into a handheld game and you have the basics already, breaking down the game to its core without losing its originality. You have a very keen eye for it, and the ideas you come up with are all winners, that's for sure. If either Kaiba or Pegasus put their marketing department and their R & D funding on it, all the games you're going to design are bound to become bestsellers."

"Nah," was Yuugi's response, even though he was thrilled with the compliments. "I'm sure we can keep working together, Otogi-kun!" He lifted up his arm to take a look at his watch. There was only one lecture after lunch, and it wasn't that important… he could always ask one of his fellow students for the notes. It wasn't Yuugi's nature to skip class- but he was so excited about the news that he could barely sit still.

Otogi snorted, noticing his friend's anxiety. "Why don't you go home Yuugi-kun, and celebrate the good news? I'm sure your class will thank you for it- you're moving around like a bumblebee!"

Yuugi laughed shortly in return, starting to pack his things, lunch once again forgotten. "Thank you, Otogi-kun!"

His friend only smiled at him. "Keep us all up to date, hmm?"

"I will! You can count on it!"

* * *

It seemed to take forever, but Yuugi arrived at the Game Store no later than it usually took him to get there by public transport. He all but flung the door open, yelling out in his enthusiasm.

"I'm hooooome!"

"Upstairs, aibou!"

Yuugi was about to run upstairs when his mother came out of the storage room, holding a bucket and a mop in her hand. Her smile was as wide as Yuugi's, and he immediately went to her for a hearty embrace.

"Congratulations, kaa-san!"

"Congratulations, Yuugi-kun!"

"I'm not so sure if I'm _that _happy," she said with a wink. "Now I'll be called grandmother, and I'm too young for that!"

"Kaa-san," Yuugi protested. She pinched his cheek, amused.

"I figure you want some special time now that you've learned that you're pregnant," the woman continued, a little more serious. "Atemu-san already went upstairs, and I think I'll prepare a special dinner for tonight…"

"Mmm, Egyptian for dinner, my favorite!" Yuugi exclaimed loudly, and he turned around to race up the stairs.

"That wasn't what I meant!" his mother yelled after him, but doubted if he heard her- he was already at the top of the stairs, looking for Atemu.

"Mou hitori no boku?"

"I am over here, aibou!"

Yuugi went to the right, into the small guest room. He immediately lowered his voice, as this room was adjacent to his grandfather's room- he would probably be resting, and Yuugi didn't want to wake him. He tiptoed over to Atemu, who put a notebook onto the spare bed and opened his arms for an embrace.

They were silent for the first five minutes, sighing in relief and happiness. Nuzzling each other, hands gripping at the fabric of their clothes, Yuugi finally brushed his lips past Atemu's.

"Finally we're pregnant," he said, longing audible in his voice. He smiled up at Atemu, who moved his hand between him to pat Yuugi on the stomach.

"You still have that wonderful flat tummy, aibou."

"Did you just make a funny, mou hitori no boku?"

"Sort of?"

Yuugi couldn't help but laugh out loud, smothering the noise by quickly kissing Atemu. When he had himself under control again, he pulled back a little, eyes shining with love and happiness.

"Did you tell everyone already yet?"

"Yes, I called our friends personally and I have text messaged and e-mailed those I could not reach," Atemu said, tilting his head a little to kiss Yuugi on the cheek. "I am so happy, aibou…"

"So am I," Yuugi immediately answered, turning his cheek more towards Atemu, who continued to kiss him, close to his ear, lower to his jawbone. His hands dropped from Atemu's shoulders, trailing over his back. "We're finally going to be parents…"

"I thought it was just another routine interview, but they told me about this little girl being…" he scowled, "available. She goes by the name of Aki, but her name has not been officially recorded. We can give her any name we want, and the agency will make the paperwork in order."

"I hate the term 'available'," Yuugi growled, "a child isn't merchandise…"

"I know, aibou, but if you really look at it, she…"

"Shhh," Yuugi simply said, not wanting to think about it. All that mattered was that they were going to have a baby girl, a child of their own, and she was going to be a part of the Mutou family… he smiled, softly mewling when Atemu continued to kiss him, right below his jawbone.

"How long is it going to take?"

"Four months, tops," he answered. "The agency will soon send us some pictures of her, and probably call us to meet her before we get to take her finally home. I believe they said she is around eight months… she has been passed around in her ah, family, but no one could be bothered to take care of her properly. Her mother was way too young…"

"That's awful," Yuugi said, clenching his fists, gripping Atemu's shirt. "The poor child!"

"She will be very much welcomed and loved here," Atemu reminded him, pressing a kiss on top of his head. "Our own family."

"Our own family," Yuugi repeated, feeling very happy. "Oh..! We have to adjust this room, then…"

He turned his head a little; noticing the notebook Atemu dropped earlier on the spare bed. "You were already busy with redecorating plans?"

"Ah, it is not that difficult… we can put the spare bed in the storage room, that one is large enough. If we have any guests staying for the night, we can always offer them our bed or the one downstairs in the storage room. I believe the couch there can be unfolded as well and turned into a bed..."

Yuugi nuzzled him, fingers uncurling and splayed against the other's back, turning his head again and pursing his lips. He didn't have to wait long for another kiss.

"Those are all minor things we can take care of easily…"

"Did you think of a name yet?" Atemu asked, keeping his voice down as he broke up the kiss. Staring up at him, Yuugi softly smiled.

"I had a name running through my mind as I was on my way here, but I don't know if it's an appropriate one…"

"We still have some time left to come up with a name, but I think any choice by you will be a good choice, aibou."

Yuugi mumbled something, burying his head against Atemu's chest.

"What was that, aibou?"

"I was thinking of... Tzuziko," Yuugi said, voice slightly louder. "It's not a very common name, and I don't know if…"

"Tzuziko," Atemu repeated, and repeated it again. "A very distinct name, aibou. I like it. Tzuziko Aumr."

"What?"

"Aumr. It means 'life' in Arabic…"

"Mou hitori no boku, not many people in Japan have two names."

"Tzuziko will be how we call her, but seeing as we are both from rich, traditional cultures…"

"I understand," Yuugi said, hugging Atemu close. "Mutou Tzuziko Aumr it is."

He returned the hug, his hands on Yuugi's back, pressing himself even closer and silencing him with another kiss.

"Mmm… perfect…"

"Mou hitori no boku…"

"Shhh…."

"Mou hitori… mmmmm…"

"Shhh, aibou... you have to be silent, otherwise grandfather will wake up…"

Yuugi burst out in nervous laughter, plucking at Atemu's shirt. "We better get to our own bedroom."

"I can not think of any better way to celebrate our impending fatherhood," Atemu said and scooped Yuugi up with one movement, eliciting a shriek from him, and marched towards the second staircase leading to the attic.

* * *

Yuugi rolled over on his side, letting out a very content sound, rumbling in his throat. Atemu hadn't commented on him skipping class or forgetting his lunchbox; almost everything seemed futile in the light of the good news. _We're going to be parents, _Yuugi thought, looking over his shoulder. Atemu was dozing, his breathing too light to be completely asleep. The tangled mess of sheets and other bed linen only covered his right leg, and he had propped his hands under the pillow. Yuugi smiled. _Parents. _It wouldn't be easy, it wouldn't be all fun and games- but it would be their responsibility, their family, their child. It was like a wish come true… and life suddenly just seemed perfect. A wonderful boyfriend and lover, a loving family, a roof over his head, and now their very own daughter.

Yuugi leaned into Atemu and kissed him on the cheek, receiving a low mutter in return. His hair was a mess and he felt a little sweaty- time for a shower. He jumped out of the bed, scrambling for a pair of sweatpants, socks and an oversized t-shirt; towels would be plentiful in the bathroom. Leaving their bedroom, Yuugi made his way down the stairs, sticking his nose in the air and sniffing; he could smell delicious, rich and spicy food- his mother truly was preparing a very special dinner. He rubbed his hands- this was more than a perfect day, it was mega perfect! As he passed his grandfather's room, he suddenly heard a noise, and halted.

"Yuugi?"

He'd heard it right. Carefully, Yuugi pushed the door open.

"Jii-chan?"

"Yuugi," the elderly man repeated, making a movement with his hand, indicating for Yuugi to come in. He pouted a little, not wanting his grandfather to see him this disheveled- but he wasn't about to object.

"Jii-chan, have you heard the news already?"

"Of course I have," he said, patting on the covers of his bed. Mutou Suguroku hadn't changed much over the years appearance-wise; he had taken his health problems in stride, but wasn't all too happy about being bed-ridden. Next to his bed were large boxes of second-hand Duel Monsters cards; he'd been sorting through them for future sales, and to keep him busy.

"It's great news, Yuugi. Soon, you'll be having your very own child," he said, an amused look on his face. "My very own great-grandchild! I'm so very happy for both of you."

"Thank you, jii-chan," Yuugi said while he sat down on the thick covers. "We waited for three years, but it's all worth it, that's for sure!"

"Certainly," he nodded. "Yuugi, now it's the time to talk."

"_Now_?"

"Yes. I had the same talk with Atemu, and heaven forbid him being a little less stubborn than he usually is."

"What are you talking about, jii-chan?" Yuugi asked a little worried.

The elderly man heaved a sigh. "Yuugi… I'm an old man. I'm going to be seventy-eight in a few days, and my health is declining slowly but steadily."

"Jii-chan…"

"Let me finish, Yuugi, please." He looked up, determined. "This is about your future, the future you're creating for yourself. You're about to form a family of your own with Atemu as your significant other and soon a child will join you as your daughter. I'm sure she's not going to be your only child." He lifted up his hand when he saw that Yuugi wanted to speak again.

"I want to see you happy,both of you. You deserve it, Yuugi- you and Atemu, after all you've been through. I want you to live your life to the fullest, doing what you want to do, doing what you like best, what you see fit. Nothing is more stressing in life when you burden yourself with obligations that aren't obligations at all…"

"I don't understand it, jii-chan," Yuugi interjected when the elderly man took a deep breath.

"I'm talking about the Game Shop, Yuugi. You don't have to keep the store up and running because of some silly thought or self-imposed obligation that it's something that I wanted to see, something that I wanted to be it that way."

"Jii-chan, of course we don't abandon the Game Shop!"

"That's what I meant, Yuugi," Suguroku said. "It's all right. You don't have to keep the store as some kind of memento to me. I'm not physically around to enjoy it anyway, and do you really think it'll make _me _happy when you're doing something you don't really like, just out of some sort of obligation that I would've liked it?"

"Jii-chan…"

"Atemu isn't the kind of person to run a game store for the rest of his life, Yuugi. He was, and still is a Pharaoh, in every way. Being a store clerk isn't what he's cut out to do, even though you have to hold him at gunpoint and still he'll deny it, claiming that he doesn't mind the work and that he's happy to do it for you or for me. I don't want his or your days to be boring and slaving if there's something else he or you want to do, something you both would enjoy more."

"I… I don't know what to say," Yuugi whispered, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. His grandfather was discussing things his death, something he didn't really want to think about. Yuugi felt ashamed for never having given it a thought before, assuming that everything would always remain the same. "Jii-chan…"

"It's alright, Yuugi. These are the kind of things no one likes to discuss. Believe me, I wish I could postpone this kind of discussion to years later… but we have to keep reality in check. I know your interests doesn't lie with the shop or with doing business in general, and I don't want Atemu to look back at his life years later and hate me or himself for doing work that he never really enjoyed. I don't owe a lot of money, Yuugi, or I would've given it already to you to build your own house, follow your dreams…"

"Jii-chan, don't be silly! I don't want any money…"

The elderly man coughed a little before he continued, interrupting Yuugi again. "I haven't invented in technology to keep the store up-to-date, Yuugi. I think we're the only one in Domino City who doesn't accept plastic money. I haven't ordered the newest game consoles and systems either, to slowly but steadily reduce the store's stock."

"That wasn't necessary…"

"Yes, it was. It is. I may be an old man, but I'm not a fool, neither am I blind. I don't want you to be weighed down by the responsibilities and obligations of a store, especially if it's something you never really fancied yourself. Your future is for you to decide, Yuugi. You and Atemu and your children, together."

Yuugi smiled, fingers curling around the bed cover and pulling them slightly up. "Thank you, jii-chan. I promise I talk to mou hitori no boku about this, alright? You better rest up now for dinner."

"I'm not a baby either," Suguroku protested faintly, and wriggled a little when lying down. Yuugi smiled when tucking in his grandfather, the man who taught him how to duel, how to envision a strategy, the man who had done more for him than his own father who was always away for business… and he had to swallow, his lips a little quivering. If his grandfather saw it, he didn't comment on it, and after Yuugi had wished him a good rest the man closed his eyes, fatigue already claiming him. He didn't cry, not even when he was in the shower- but his heart felt heavy, and his mind was troubled.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Time went by, and despite his promise, Yuugi didn't bring up the topic he and his grandfather discussed about with Atemu. The elderly man's health seemed to stabilize, and his seventy-eighth birthday was celebrated, the family gathered together around his bed. For a moment, Yuugi thought his grandfather was going to hold a similar speech when they were eating the birthday cake and looking at the greeting cards Suguroku had received, but he never did say a word about it. Yuugi knew he had to talk about this to Atemu, knowing that the former Pharaoh had discussed this with grandfather as well- and he felt ashamed for not daring to touch the subject. He simply didn't want to think about it, wanting everything to remain the same- and his grandfather to be alive for decades to come.

He buried himself in university assignments, working together with Otogi on the DDM handheld game which was about to be taken into production, and spending his free time to help Atemu with the redecoration of the guest room. He was fairly amused by the colors his other self had chosen- sandy and sunny colors, a variety of camel brown and warm yellow. They probably could re-do the entire decoration thing if their daughter wanted to have sparkly pink princess wallpaper and accessories in the future, though he wasn't really looking forward to that. While the days went by, they managed to find nice second-hand furniture; all painted with a yellowish white that gave a very antique, ancient impression. They bought the complete set of bed, cupboard, dresser, nightstand and a small table with two chairs- the table could serve as a desk later, and was adjustable in height, just like the chairs.

Yuugi's mother donated a lot of clothes and toys obtained via her friends, who knew others with kids who outgrew their clothing or toys- Yuugi never had imagined that there was such a lively second-hand market, and that people were so friendly and willingly to share. Their friends- Anzu, Otogi, Jounouchi, Honda, Bakura and others they knew-, were also quite ecstatic about the upcoming expansion of the family, mostly giving them more luxury gifts. Anzu had even send a present, a beautiful lamp in the form of a ballerina, holding the bulb and light shade in her carefully sculptured hands, all the way from the United States.

Yuugi was very glad and grateful for everything he received, praising himself lucky with such caring friends and family. Buying everything new would've been a severe drain on their savings, and paying for his tuition with the very small profits of the store was sometimes hard enough. He'd earned himself prize money when he still was participating in tournaments, but Atemu was in charge of the finances. Yuugi had never exactly asked how they got by- the fact that Atemu never complained or never said anything about any monetary predicaments was proof enough for him that everything was still fine and dandy.

The long-anticipated call arrived at a Wednesday afternoon; Yuugi was upstairs studying for one of his end-of-semester exams after having spend an hour playing Go with his grandfather. He heard Atemu coming up the stairs- he had a far heavier footstep than Yuugi's mother, so that was easy to distinguish- and he closed his book, having heard the phone ring just a few minutes before.

"We can go see her this Friday, and if everything goes all right we can take her immediately home with us," Atemu said, a warm smile gracing his face.

"That's wonderful!" Yuugi cheered, throwing his arms around Atemu and hugging him. The pictures the agency had send were grainy and low quality- they wondered exactly why, didn't anyone there dispose over a digital camera?- and they both loved to meet their daughter in the flesh. "We're finally going to see her!"

"We are finally going to see her," Atemu repeated, kissing him lightly on the lips. "We have waited for so long…"

"And done so much work… well, actually you did most of the work," Yuugi said. "It must have been so tiring for you, mou hitori no boku, to have gone through all those tests and procedures."

"I would do so immediately again," Atemu answered, smiling at Yuugi. "With a reward such like this, how could I not?"

"Tzuziko-chan will love it here," Yuugi said, nuzzling his other self. He couldn't get enough of those arms around him, feeling loved, protected and safe.

"I am sure of it…"

"Oh.. what am I going to wear when we're going to pick her up?"

"I think we have to leave the leather pants at home, aibou."

"Darn!"

* * *

One of the main reasons Yuugi was glad that Atemu had gone through the whole procedure was because of the agency itself. Ooshimuru, despite its good and renowned reputation, was nothing short of a clinic to Yuugi - cold, emotionless, super hygienic, a sterile office, out of place concidering the work they did here. It didn't help that the receptionist, hair painfully pulled back into a tight bun, large, black-framed glasses on her nose, didn't radiate any friendliness at all, as well as the number they had been assigned from some weird ticketing machine.

Yuugi sat down in the waiting room, after greeting the two other couples already present, and stared at the printed number in his hands.

"We're nothing but a number," he muttered, but it was loud enough for the other couple to overhear. The man of the couple threw him a compassionate, almost pitiful look- people knew here how stressing and difficult an adoption procedure was, especially with the emotions involved- emotions this particular agency barely seemed to recognize.

"Tanaka-san will soon call for us," Atemu said, only nodding with his head towards the others in the waiting room, ignoring the quaint looks he received- most people would give the both of them a rather surprised look, seeing their similar appearance. He sat down next to Yuugi, studying the number. There was a stack of very old magazines on the plastic table next to them, but Yuugi didn't feel much for reading them. He hoped that their caseworker would call for them soon; he was extremely nervous. Time seemed to crawl in this particular room, and his hopes went up when a woman came into the waiting room- but called for the other couple. Atemu patted him on the knee, as to console him.

"Have patience, Yuugi," he said, and grimaced- they thought it was for the better to refer to each other with their ordinary names in public. After all, it wouldn't do them very good to call each other 'aibou' and 'mou hitori no boku' in front of their caseworker, now would it? Yuugi hated hearing his name from Atemu; it just didn't feel right. He sunk away in dark, almost depressive and irritated thoughts when the door of the waiting room opened again.

"Mutou-san," the woman said, clutching a clipboard to her chest. She had a friendly face, but didn't show real sympathy or compassion- Yuugi didn't really like her at first sight, but showed her a warm smile. This was the woman who decided over their daughter… he'd better be at his best behavior. It hardly dawned to him that they had been waiting for two hours; he'd been so completely lost in his thoughts that he had lost track of time.

She led them to her room, a small office that contained a desk with computer, two chairs, a file cabinet and a sidetable. There was only some kind of painting on the wall for decoration- Yuugi couldn't make heads or tails out of it and didn't want to take the risk by offending the woman by commenting on it.

They both sat down, while she immediately started talking- about the supervision they would have to endure for at least six months, that the baby could be taken away again when they failed to meet certain standards and progress, and her words quickly went into one ear and out the other. While Yuugi maintained a neutral face, he wished the woman would be more positive and stressing the good things instead of all the bad things that might happen. After a long time hearing her drone on about things- he'd ask Atemu later about what she'd been saying- the woman rose from her chair.

"I'll have Kihito-san bring your daughter," she said, and -finally!- showed a genuine, friendly smile. "One moment, Mutou-san, in the meantime you can sign the last of the paperwork."

Both Atemu and Yuugi thanked her before she left, and the former Pharaoh shoved the papers towards Yuugi.

"Here you are, aibou- you should do the official signing."

He made a non-committal noise, but took the cap of the pen and started signing. "I almost feel like someone working for the government. Sign this, sign that…"

Atemu laughed softly. "You know why we do this all for, aibou…"

"I know, mou hitori no boku. I can't wait!" Yuugi signed the papers quickly, looking at them briefly, even though these were the official papers that made him the parent of little Tzuziko- Tzuziko Aumr, as was stated everywhere. Apparently, none of the involved authorities had seen a problem with the two names, for which he was glad. "Mou hitori no boku, we…"

He was interrupted as the door opened, and two women stepped in- one holding the baby, a little girl with her sleek hair tied into a small, rather sloppy braid. She was wearing a light green dress which was clearly too big for her; the hem was torn here and there. She wore socks, no shoes, and a small bracelet on her left wrist.

"Say hello, Tzuziko-chan," the co-worker said, bouncing the baby a little, as she had pressed her face against her chest, not looking up or around. "Your father is here..!"

"She's beautiful," Yuugi whispered, rising from his chair to take a better look. "Hello Tzuziko-chan!"

The little girl ducked away, all but trying to crawl into the chest of the co-worker. Her eyes were wide, and even though she didn't show fear, her hand in the co-worker's blouse tightened its grip.

"This was with her," the other woman said, showing Atemu and Yuugi a rag doll that looked extremely dirty. "We usually recommend to let the child keep something familiar… it's already hard enough for them."

"Thank you, Tanaka-san, Kihito-san," Atemu said, taking the rag doll from her. The caseworker went back to her desk, noticing the papers being signed and started to file them.

"Don't forget, Mutou-san, that you can always call our agency in case you have questions, run into trouble or if something isn't clear. We're here to help you, and to help Tzuziko-chan, of course."

"Of course," Yuugi repeated, eyes focused on the baby. The co-worker leaned a little into him, handing the baby over.

She didn't cry- just simply stared at him, with that strange, wide-eyed look. If Yuugi didn't know any better, he thought that she was examining him, looking through him into the very core of his soul. He didn't understand why she wasn't crying- she had let go of the co-worker's blouse without a problem, and her silence baffled him. Still, she was lying in his arms, a few seconds before he mimicked the posture of the co-worker, holding the girl on his arm, the other hand on her back, her face against his chest.

"Thank you," he whispered to no one in particular. He knew Atemu was standing next to him, patiently waiting for his turn to hold her and he felt extremely selfish- but he couldn't let go of her, not now. The co-worker smiled, while the caseworker expressed a little annoyance; she was probably thinking of all the other work that was waiting for her, and more than probably irritated that they hadn't left her office yet.

"I'll show you outside," the co-worker finally said, turning around to hold the door open for them. Yuugi continued to carry Tzuziko while Atemu gathered the copies of their signed documents along with a few other informative booklets. It felt a little unreal as they were walking, leaving the building- if it wasn't for the weight on his arm, Yuugi could barely believe he finally was going home with his daughter- _their _daughter.

Noticing that Yuugi didn't want to give the baby to him yet, Atemu was the one to drive home, where Yusuke would be anxiously waiting for them with tea and cake to celebrate the homecoming of her granddaughter. Suguroku had insisted on getting out of bed and making his way to the living room, where he comfortably settled himself in the corner of the couch, a blanket draped over him.

Yuugi talked all the way home to the baby, who was still silent, turning her head around as to take in everything around her. She uttered a few nonsense sounds, every one of them with an underlying questioning tone.

"I think she's asking where we're going," Yuugi said amusedly. "We're going home, Tzuziko-chan... we're going home. Your home, our home… and no one's going to pass you around anymore."

He grimaced slightly as he remembered what Atemu had told him about the baby's past- so young, and already with a past… a past of being born to a mother who couldn't take care of her, and instead of receiving help or support, was forced to give her baby to someone else in the family, who passed the baby to someone else and again and again, just as long as it took before finally someone decided to give her up for adoption. The unwillingness of people, family, to even help out one of their own, was astounding to Yuugi. He couldn't imagine being alone like that, being without help, being at the end of his wits… and once again he praised himself lucky and fortunate.

"We are here," Atemu announced, parking the car in the driveway. It wasn't really smart of the both of them to let him drive- Atemu didn't have a driver's license and in the case of being pulled over, they could face a hefty fine. None of them were thinking about that at the moment, and Atemu helped Yuugi out of the car before locking it.

"Is there any chance I get to hold her today?" He asked, and Yuugi blushed furiously.

"I'm sorry, mou hitori no boku! I…"

"It is all right, aibou… you have the honour of carrying her over the threshold."

"Thank you," Yuugi beamed at him, reminding himself to make it up to him later… preferably at night. "I love you…"

"I love you too, aibou…"

Before they could kiss, Yusuke had already opened the door, enthusiastically waving.

"Don't keep standing outside! Come in, come in!"

Yuugi threw Atemu an apologetic smile and moved towards the door, where his mother clasped her hands.

"Let me see her… let me see little Tzuziko-chan…"

"Kaa-san, let's go inside," Yuugi reminded her, as his mother started to touch the baby, who immediately ducked against Yuugi, her small fist tightening its grip on his shirt.

"Yes, yes, you're right. I have tea and cake… oh, and grandfather is up, he's waiting for you in the living room."

"Jii-chan is up? The doctor told him to stay in bed..!"

"Please, Yuugi-kun.. it's just for this occasion."

He frowned, but refrained from commenting. His grandfather wasn't invalid, but since the latest visit of the doctor Suguroku had stayed in bed, without as much as a single word of protest.

"Why don't you go see him, aibou," Atemu suggested, slipping into the house sandals. "He especially got up to see our daughter."

"Yes yes," Yuugi said, nodding with his head. "As long as he doesn't overexert himself!"

With the baby on his arm, Yuugi quickly went to the living room, searching out his grandfather.

"Jii-chan, what are you doing up?"

The elderly man turned his head towards Yuugi, showing a similar apologetic smile. "I didn't want to keep vegetating in my bed when my great granddaughter's arriving," he said.

"We would've come to your room to show her to you," Yuugi said, but it didn't sound chiding in the least.

Suguroku answered by simply holding up his hands and Yuugi leaned into him, handing Tzuziko over. The moment she left his arms, she started crying- her lip had been quivering as Yuugi had carried her through the house, and now she was wailing at full capacity.

"Oooh, you poor little girl," Suguroku said while leaning comfortably back against the couch cushions. "You make much more noise than your father…"

Yuugi chuckled ."You should know, jii-chan!" He suppressed his thoughts about his own father immediately, like he usually did. He was sure that his grandfather had held him much more often when he was a baby then his own father; it never failed to make some bile rise up in his throat.

"It's been a while," Yusuke sighed while carrying the tray with tea cups into the living room. "It's been a while since baby sounds and cries were heard in this house."

"You'll be hearing much more of it," Yuugi remarked dryly. "She was so silent all the way home, but now.. it seems like some kind of dam has broken."

Atemu leaned over Yuugi, placing his hands on his shoulders. "It has been a tiring day for her, aibou. So many impressions, so many changes of sceneries, so many other people surrounding her now.. that is hard to deal with, especially for an infant her age. She needs to rest."

Yuugi tilted his head, looking back at Atemu. "May jii-chan hold her for a little longer, please?"

"Not too long," Atemu answered, though Tzuziko seemed to calm down slightly; large tears dribbling over her cheeks. Suguroku rocked her a little, trying to hush her by keeping his voice calm and soothing. The only sounds were by him, Tzuziko still wailing, and Yuugi's mother passing around the tea cups and cake.

"Atemu is right," Suguroku said between the wailing sobs. "She has gone through a lot of impressions today, and every sound, every noise, is strange to her. It's for the better if she's brought to bed soon."

"The tea will still be warm," Yusuke said encouragingly, looking at the both of them with a warm, content smile on her face.

"All right," Yuugi agreed, standing up again to take Tzuziko back from his grandfather. The girl kept crying, though substantially toned down as soon as Yuugi held her once again in his arms. "We'll be back in a minute."

"Take your time, dear," Yusuke said while taking a sip from her tea; mirth and joy visible in her eyes. She knew it wouldn't take the baby long to fall asleep, as exhausted as the little girl was, it would probably take Yuugi and Atemu much longer to tear themselves away from her. That's why she didn't comment when they both returned to the living room more than an hour later, and went back to the kitchen to make a fresh pot of tea.

* * *

Another day of the week, another day at the university. Yuugi had been wearing a wide, goofy grin on his face for the past few weeks- being a father had really changed his demeanor! A –very high quality- picture of Tzuziko was stuck onto his notebook, so he could take a look at his daughter whenever he wanted to. Every day Atemu text messaged or called him as usual, but now always included an update about their baby girl. Something she did, something she achieved… it was great to see that Tzuziko was feeling at ease around them. She responded with her observing, examining eyes to everyone else that came to see her, but to the Mutou family members she lost her shyness pretty quickly, much to their relief. Tzuziko enjoyed the stories Suguroku told her- including making sounds and clapping with his hands, which she tried to imitate immediately-, and she liked being around Yusuke, who helped bathing and changing here. With every passing day, the little girl was coming more and more out of her shell, and Atemu was the first one to tell Yuugi proudly about her progress.

Everything went so well, and that was why Yuugi didn't understand why he was feeling restless and rather moody today. Tzuziko was doing fine, she slept the whole night, though she was a difficult eater, a real nitpicker. Seeing his other self busy with her was… too cute for words. Yuugi usually snickered at the thought of the memory cards from their digital camera he still had to transfer to the computer- every card holding lots of pictures of the both of them busy with the baby. Atemu had started talking Arabic to her, even repeating the hieroglyphic alphabet when bringing her to bed, much to Yuugi's hilarity.

"She is a genius, I am mere stimulating her development!" Atemu had told him, and Yuugi had countered that the girl needed to be exactly what she was – a baby, to be cuddled and caressed, not subjected to linguistics. It wasn't important enough to get them into a fight or hold irritation over it- they were both so happy with Tzuziko that any quarrel over her upbringing was simply kissed away- for now.

_It's Thursday, _he reminded himself. Thursdays were his favorite day of the week, except for the weekends of course. _What's your problem, Mutou? _He'd been fiddling with his pen all morning, not paying attention to the -otherwise very interesting- lecture earlier, held by one of his favorite teachers. Frowning, he stared at his lunchbox as if the answer to his restlessness was inside the plastic object.

"I don't think it did anything to you, Yuugi-kun, so why are you looking at it like you want to kill it?"

Yuugi almost gave a startled yelp, not having heard Otogi or his fan girls approach.

"Sorry about that, Otogi-kun!" He sheepishly apologized.

"That's okay…" Otogi took his usual seat opposite of him, putting his lunch tray on the table. "Something bothering you, Yuugi-kun?"

"Mmm, not really," Yuugi said, "I don't know. I haven't been able to concentrate all day and I just don't feel… at ease. A little restless."

"Everyone has an off-day once in a while," Otogi shrugged, while picking up his chopsticks. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Yeah, you're right," Yuugi answered him. He opened his lunchbox again to take out his sandwich, looking at it as if it were something vile. His appetite had taken an off-day as well apparently; he'd hardly had anything for breakfast either. Otogi didn't keep up his usual banter with him, sensing that Yuugi really wasn't in the mood for it.

Yuugi wanted to take a bite from his sandwich, but dropped it back into his lunchbox, poking at the food once again.

Otogi looked up from his bowl of ramen. "Yuugi-kun, are you sure you're all right? I've never seen you like this before."

Then it suddenly dawned to him. They were halfway through lunch period and Atemu hadn't called or text messaged yet. Was this the first time that the former Pharaoh would forget about it? Otogi was about to comment, when Yuugi suddenly said: "I'm sorry for ruining lunch, Otogi-kun, but I'm going home."

"You haven't ruined anything," Otogi reassured him, and considered suggesting that _Yuugi _couls send a text message or call first, if that was really bothering him. Yuugi started packing his bag, throwing his untouched sandwich back into the lunchbox, tossing it on top of the pile of books.

"I'm sorry," he said again, "I'll give you a call later, okay?"

"Sure, let me know what's going on," Otogi replied- he wasn't sure if Atemu not calling Yuugi had upset him, and he doubted that only that could've made Yuugi feel so restless.

* * *

Strange how everything and every one around him was so calm, chattering about nonsensical things, discussing trivia, while he had the feeling that something wasn't right, something was off. Yuugi wished for the subway to travel faster, though it was strictly on time as usual- every minute seemed to multiply indefintely in his head. He could've called home to ask if everyone was all right. He could've called… and somehow he couldn't work up the courage to do so. Atemu would probably say that everything was all right, to keep him from worrying- but Atemu hadn't called, not even send him a tiny text message, and it was disconcerting. He felt slight relief when the Game Shop came into sight- looking to the second floor, he spotted laundry hanging from the clothes lines. If there was laundry, everything was all right, right? It was an extremely silly thought, and still he clung to it as he crossed the street, all but running.

Yuugi wanted to enter through the Game Shop, and found the door closed- in the middle of the day, without as much as a sign? Befuddled, he went past the building to the front door of the house and opened it. He climbed up the stairs, feeling uncomfortable because of the odd silence. It wasn't like there was always noise in the house, but this… this was definitely a different kind of silence.

Yuugi reached the kitchen, smelling coffee, and noticed his mother sitting at the kitchen table, looking pale, dabbing with a damp handkerchief at her puffy, red eyes. Atemu was behind her, hands on the chair, and he turned to look at Yuugi.

"Aibou…"

"Mou hitori no boku… what's going on? Kaa-san?"

"Aibou, today the gods have called for jii-chan. He went with them, aibou."

He dumped his backpack on the floor. "No… no..!"

Atemu let go of the chair, closing the distance between them and pulling Yuugi into an embrace.

"I am sorry, aibou. The gods have called for him in his sleep, and he has answered them."

"That's.. that can't be," Yuugi stammered, voice hitching. He'd assumed his grandfather had been still asleep when he was leaving for university early this morning. He heard his mother softly sobbing in the background, and he tightened his grip on Atemu.

"Where… where's Tzuziko-chan?" he asked.

"Taking her afternoon nap. I decided it was the best for her to continue the same, daily routine as usual. She is too young to understand, aibou."

"It's not fair… why couldn't he enjoy more of life? Why couldn't he spend more time with his great granddaughter?"

"Your grandfather reached a very respectable age, aibou," Atemu said, patting him on the back. "He has lived a great deal of time, bringing each and every one of us hope and joy, telling us about his adventures, taking care of us…"

"He brought you to me," Yuugi started to cry, "if it weren't for him going to Egypt and discover the Sennen Puzzle, we never would've been together..!"

"I know, aibou, I know… the loss is great," Atemu said, holding Yuugi close, moving his hand in massaging circles on his back. "We will all miss him, but never forget him."

"No, we'll never forget…"

"Aibou…why don't you lie down for a minute," Atemu lowered his voice, speaking with a soothing tone. "The news is very hard to take."

"I don't want to be alone right now," Yuugi bawled, gripping Atemu so tightly that a surprised gasp escaped him. His mother's sobs were heard in the background, and he couldn't stop crying.

"Jii-chan," he said, "jii-chan…"

Atemu remained silent, keeping his hand on Yuugi's back, burying his other hand in his hair, stroking the strands. They stood there for a long time, Yuugi not even knowing or realizing for how long, until Atemu brought him to the living room and sat him on the couch, tucking the ever-present blanket around him. Yuugi felt numb, muted, and he allowed himself to be tucked in as a baby, while tears kept falling, silently, expressing his grief.

* * *

At the day of the funeral, Yuugi couldn't do anything but to force himself to stand, accepting the condolences of his friends. Everything went by as in a daze- he didn't even realize Atemu was forcing him to eat, holding up the chopsticks with a little rice, pressing them against his lips. He barely noticed that he was sitting on the couch.

The house was a sea of flowers, sympathy cards were piled up on the coffee table, and friends and distant family kept calling, wishing them well, offering to help. Yuugi felt guilty leaving everything to Atemu, but he simply couldn't put himself to do anything- not even looking at Tzuziko. The girl was most of the time crawling around, guarded by Yusuke who seemed paler than ever. Just like Yuugi, she had to pull out her handkerchief multiple times a day, dabbing at her eyes.

He wrung his hands, looking at nothing in particular. Almost every little thing in the house reminded him of his grandfather. He felt like he had so many more things to ask, that he couldn't do anything without him… the store, what about money, the future? Was this his punishment for not paying enough attention to his grandfather? He'd stopped by every day at his room, and played Go with him, hadn't he?

Yuugi suddenly jerked out of his thoughts when a weight settled on his lap, and he brought up his hands in surprise.

"Our girl misses her father," Atemu said, voice neutral, with a hint of concern.

"Just as her father misses his grandfather," Yuugi replied, taking Tzuziko's little hands in his.

"I miss grandfather too, aibou," Atemu said, placing his hand on his cheek. "I have lost a friend, someone I owe my life to as much as I do to you… it feels like something has been torn from me."

"I'm sorry… I'm so selfish." Yuugi bowed his head, frowning. He didn't want to cry in front of his daughter, but it was difficult keeping it all back.

"You are not, aibou. You are the most selfless person I have ever met, do not be silly. Every one has his own way of dealing with grief, of mourning.. it is all right, aibou."

"No, it's not…" His voice was hitching again. "I thought he was going to live forever. I thought.. that everything would be all right as long as I didn't mention it. I simply avoided everything, thinking everything would be fine!"

"Aibou…" Atemu didn't understand where Yuugi's outburst came from, and moved his arm around him, his other arm supporting Tzuziko on Yuugi's lap.

"I'll never… I'll never do that again… whatever happens, I won't ignore it and think it'll pass… never again…"

Tears came flooding back as he sought comfort and solace in the other's arms, still holding the baby's hands, heaving a sigh of relief when feeling and sensing the familiar clothing, warmth and scent of his other self.

"Never leave me, mou hitori no boku…"

"I will never leave you, aibou."

"I don't know how you can stand living with me," Yuugi said, not caring for his wet cheeks. "You always told me that I was strong.. and look at me, crying and sobbing!"

"Tears are never a sign of weakness, aibou. Your grandfather died, a very important person in your life… you are very much entitled to cry and mourn."

"I'm not strong… look at me…I'm just a weak kid, who can't even take care of himself."

"I am looking at you, aibou," Atemu softly said, leaning into him. "And what I see is a wonderful, loving person who is going through a rough time right now. It is all right to cry… you need time to deal with this. Death is a part of life, and something that awaits us all…"

"Don't talk like that," Yuugi quickly shook his head, feeling fresh tears well up.

"It is never the end, aibou," Atemu continued, keeping his voice low. "You know what we Egyptians believe what happens after death, and it is something much more honourable and wonderful than we living people can imagine. Jii-chan is with the gods now, watching over us."

"I know," Yuugi said, "I know…"

He felt something pressing against his cheek, something small, and when he opened his eyes he saw it was Tzuziko, looking at him expectantly.

"Tzuziko-chan…"

"Remember the second name we gave her?" Atemu asked.

"Aumr," Yuugi said without hesitation. _Life._

"She needs you, aibou. Your mother needs you. _I_ need you. I am not telling you to forget grandfather, or to deny your grief.. but do not forget about us. Life and death are very close… grandfather had a great life, and we should celebrate his adventures, instead of drowning in tears. We all have our own way of dealing with the joys and grieves of life and death… it is how fate has determined our lives, aibou."

"You're right…" Yuugi looked at Tzuziko, who kept her small hand against his cheek, and couldn't help but smile, be it a little watery. "Thank you…"

Atemu pressed a kiss on his temple. "Try to take it a little easy the next few days, aibou. If you need anything, just ask me. Now rest a little.."

"Thank you," Yuugi said again. "From now on, mou hitori no boku, I'll never wait with talking to you, I'll never wait with telling anyone anything…"

Atemu simply nodded, pressing another kiss to his temple. He shifted his arms around Tzuziko, lifting the girl up who looked curiously at her wet fingers.

"Rest, aibou," he repeated, and Yuugi leaned back into the cushions, still feeling emotional, but a little more consoled.

* * *

Yuugi stayed home from university, not feeling up to participate in the last few weeks of his semester. It would mean that he'd be missing his exams, and he talked to his study counsellor to make an exception for him. Yuugi already had enough credits to be admitted to the third year, but he didn't want to get bad grades for his exams when it could be avoided. Fortunately, his counsellor showed understanding and allowed him to take his exams later- when he was able to concentrate on them. With the recent death of his grandfather, Yuugi had difficulties concentrating- difficulties accepting that Suguroku wasn't in his life anymore. He wandered about the house, spending time with Tzuziko or doing chores, avoiding his grandfather's room for now- Atemu had refused to close the door of his room, and Yuugi didn't have the heart to do it himself. He sighed when thinking of his upcoming summer break- usually he helped his grandfather in the store, but now…

When returning from grocery shopping, Yuugi opened the door and all but stumbled inside, carrying two bags of the local supermarket. The first thing he saw was his mother standing in the hallway, just about to finish closing the buttons on her light coat, a suitcase next to her feet.

"Kaa-san?" Yuugi asked, almost panicked. "Where are you going to?"

Mutou Yusuke turned around and smiled over at him, her eyes warm, but still showing her own grief.

"Don't worry, Yuugi-kun," she answered him. "I'm just going away to my friend for a while. One, two weeks at most. It's just… I'm sorry, Yuugi-kun. Too many memories, it's growing over my head. I need a little time to get to myself and think..."

"I understand, kaa-san," Yuugi said, heaving a sigh. He put his bags down -they were getting too heavy anyway- and walked over to his mother for a hug.

"I'm sorry," she whispered while returning the hug. "You're in the middle of dealing with this as well, and I feel like I'm chickening out on everyone."

"No, you're not, kaa-san," he reassured her. "Mou hitori no boku already said that everyone needs to deal with grief on his or her own. If taking a little distance is helping you with that…"

"You're both so very sweet," she said, trying to suppress a sob in her voice. "I wouldn't know what to do without you.. the both of you."

"We'll be waiting for you to come back, whenever you think the time is right again," Yuugi said, respecting his mother's decision even though it fell him hard.

"Thank you, Yuugi-kun. It's a very difficult time for all of us.. but I'm not far out of sight, and I'll call you every day."

She kissed him on the cheek, bending through the knees to pick up her suitcase. "Before I forget, look after Atemu-san, all right? He hasn't had a single bit of rest ever since… since it happened," she said, voice thick with emotions. "I'll thank him another time for taking care and arranging everything, but… please see to it that Atemu-san get some rest, will you?"

"Don't worry kaa-san, I will," Yuugi promised, before letting go of her . Yusuke lifted the suitcase, a mere second before a claxon sounded briefly.

"That'll be my friend. I'll call you as soon as I'm arrived, Yuugi-kun."

He nodded, unable to say anything more. She threw him an apologetic look, pain reflecting in her eyes, as she finally turned around and opened the door.

It took him a few minutes to finally go up the stairs and go to the kitchen. Yuugi put the groceries away, opening drawers and cupboards, restocking the cereals, pancake mix, jam, biscuits.. it felt so mundane that he almost wanted to laugh. Yes, life was going on as usual, despite the loss, despite parted ways… he sighed again. He still had family and wonderful friends, and a very significant other to boot. How did he even dare to think of complaining? Yuugi glanced at the clock. Tzuziko's nap time was almost over, maybe he could play with her a little? She seemed to be very fond of that brightly coloured block game, a present of Jounouchi, who had also promised to fix up any car Tzuziko was going to drive for free. There were some dirty dishes in the sink, and he considered for a brief moment of washing them, but decided against it. His mother's words kept replaying in his mind, and as soon as he finished putting everything away, he decided to go to the store.

He knew Atemu was sure to have the baby alarm on, whenever he was in the store or in the house. After Yuugi had gone through the door separating the store from the house, he noticed how quiet it was in the store. There'd been a slight rush at the re-opening after Suguroku's passing; a lot of regular customers had stopped by to offer their sympathies. Atemu was sitting on a stool behind the counter, working his way through some paper files; Yuugi spotted the baby alarm on the counter, at maximum volume.

"Mou hitori no boku…"

"Aibou, I did not hear you come back from your shopping. Did you manage to get everything?"

"Yes, I got everything," Yuugi said and came to stand behind him. Atemu wasn't looking at him, keeping his attention on the papers in front of him.

"Mou hitori no boku, did you cry?"

"Why do you ask, aibou?"

"Because you aren't looking at me. You always look at me, and you always ask for others to look at you. You never avert your gaze unless you're crying or have cried."

"You know me well," Atemu said, a soft smile on his lips, when he turned around to look Yuugi straight in the eyes.

"Mou hitori no boku… weren't you the one telling me that tears were never a sign of weakness?" He touched the skin under Atemu's red eyes, gently.

"I do not wish to burden you, aibou."

"You never burden me," Yuugi said, shaking his head. "I should've seen it myself that you were grieving too.. I'm so sorry, mou hitori no boku."

"It is all right…"

"No it's not, and you know it." Yuugi grabbed Atemu's hand. "Lean on me, mou hitori no boku. We're going to sit down in the living room and you're going to take a rest. This time, you're going to be in my arms, not the other way around."

"I love to, aibou, but the store.."

"… is closed for the afternoon. We've been open at the most irregular hours before, and the customers will understand, and if they don't or can't, they can go to Otogi-kun's store to get their card fix."

Atemu chuckled a little. "Aibou, that is not good for our profits…"

"Talking about profits, we need to discuss the store and its future as well, too," Yuugi said, and quickly added: "But not now. At this moment.. we both have other things on our mind. Come, let's go inside."

* * *

The clock struck three; it was time to get little Tzuziko out of bed. Yuugi looked a bit worried at the clock. Atemu was resting against him, having fallen asleep the moment as they sat down, and Yuugi had been talking to him, sweet words of love and devotion, stroking his hair and studying him, taking in his features, declaring his love over and over to him again- it didn't matter that Atemu couldn't hear it, he knew the meaning behind Yuugi's words, awake or not.

"Mou hitori no boku," he whispered, "wake up… I need to get Tzuziko-chan out of her bed…" He didn't receive an answer, as Atemu shifted around a little and snuggled even closer up to Yuugi.

"Mnn… mou hitori no boku…"

He glanced at the clock again, hoping that Tzuziko would at least sleep for another ten minutes, otherwise he would have to squirm and wriggle his way out of under Atemu who had curled up against him. Closing his eyes, he decided that he'd wait for ten more minutes only… and suddenly got the feeling that he was being watched. Yuugi opened his eyes and turned his head a little, spotting Tzuziko in front of the couch, on all fours. She had climbed out of her bed and down the stairs all on her own! Yuugi smiled brightly at the girl, complimenting her with her great achievement.

"Hey there, little one," he said softly, as not to wake up Atemu. "Come sit with us, Tzuziko-chan?"

The girl looked up, eyes wide, with the usual half-frowned, examining expression on her face. She looked over at Atemu and back at Yuugi again, then to Atemu.

"Yami papa," she suddenly said, her voice high-pitched and with a slight lisp, but Yuugi could make out the words.

Yuugi's smile grew even wider. "Tzuziko-chan! You talked…! You came all the way down and you talked!"

"Hikari papa," she said and showed a very content look before climbing up the couch, wanting to settle into Yuugi's lap. He had to help her a little, leaning over Atemu who still was asleep, and managed to get her up the couch, holding her in his lap, her head resting against his chest. Holding one arm around the sleeping Atemu and his other around his daughter, Yuugi smiled down at the both of them, gratitude and love flowing through him. _Truly the birth of a family. _

Tzuziko craned her neck a little, eyes falling on him. "Hikari papa," she repeated and put her head against his chest again, tiny fists curling in his shirt.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

(The following fic is the second in an arc of 10 fics in total, following these prompts: #29. Birth #28. Children #24. Family #27. Parents # 30. Death, and five "artist's choice" prompts as per the rules of the LiveJournal Community FanFic100 (write 100 fanfics of character(s) of the fandom of your choice with help of a list of prompts). This series of fics contains mainly sappy, fluffy and waffy scenes, as well as a little angst and drama. It also contains shounen ai and minor and major character death(s) - please refer to the author's notes of each fic for appropriate summary and warnings. Thank you and happy reading! Feedback is greatly appreciated :) I decided to add the five "artist's choice" prompts from the FanFic100 list as to expand on the lifespan that is described in this arc and to avoid huge timejumps between the fics.

Title: A sorta Fairytale, pt. 2 - "something about the Open Road"  
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!  
Characters: Yami no Yuugi/Atemu & Mutou Yuugi  
Prompt: # 96, Artist's Choice  
Word Count: 7.667  
Rating: G

Warnings: shounen ai, some Yuugi angst  
Summary: Saddened by jii-chan's death and blessed with a baby girl, Atemu and Yuugi try to deal with the drastic changes in their lives.

Author's Notes: End of series 'fix-it'. Shounen ai. Made up name for Yuugi's mother: "Yusuke". Characters are around 21, 22 of age.

Key: ------- = scene change

--------------------

_Fourteen months_, Yuugi thought as he watched his daughter sleep. Very gently, he reached for her, touching the baby's soft skin. He didn't want to wake her, so he was careful as he brushed her rosy cheek, avoiding to make any noise or sudden movement. The adoption agency had estimated Tzuziko's age to be around twelve months when Yuugi and Atemu first got to hold her. It had been difficult to pinpoint her exact age as she was left at the doorstep of the agency without much more than a change of clothes. Two months had passed since the fortunate day Yuugi and Atemu had welcomed the baby girl in their midst. _What had happened to this child in her young life?_ Ooshimuru, the agency who had guided them through the whole adoption process, had been scarce with background information. The girl had been born to a very young mother who simply couldn't take care of her, and the baby had been passed along the family until someone had put her up for adoption. It was such a harsh rejection that it made Yuugi's heart ache, but he wasn't in the position to judge - what did he know about the exact circumstances? Maybe Tzuziko's mother had tried to the best of her abilities, and maybe she was crying every night for the loss of her daughter. He couldn't help but feel sad for the girl, left alone to her own devices, and no one reaching out to help her.

His fingers touched her nose, still very gently; he just couldn't help looking at her, trying to convince himself that she was really here, really lying in the crib, really his daughter. Yes, she really _was_ here, after three years of waiting and patiently following every procedure in the book. Their patience had been rewarded, and Yuugi already knew that Tzuziko wasn't going to be their only child. Atemu would file for another adoption procedure as soon as things had settled around the Game Shop and life in general.

"Isn't she adorable?"

It wasn't Atemu behind him this time, but his mother. Her voice was soft, also not to wake the sleeping Tzuziko. She moved towards the small dresser and put a pile of clean towels on top of it. Mutou Yusuke couldn't get enough of her grandchild either, often checking up on the baby and helping out with feeding and changing diapers. She made sure not to impose herself or to intrude, but her eyes lit up significantly when her expertise was called for, showing a smile on her face that hadn't been there since her father, Yuugi's grandfather, had passed away.

"She is," Yuugi said, looking up with a grateful smile. "A little miracle, and she's all ours."

She ruffled her son's hair. "She's all ours to care for and to love, to hold and to raise."

"If only jii-chan would be still around to see her grow up."

"At least he saw her," Yusuke said, "and he got to hold her. He even told her a few bedtime stories, all about Ancient Egypt and golden puzzle boxes. His time was far too short, yes… but he saw her, Yuugi-kun, and we have to be thankful for every minute he was able to spend with her."

"I know, kaa-san," Yuugi said and his voice grew a little louder, loud enough for the baby to make a noise on her own, as if she was protesting. Yuugi immediately lowered his voice again.

"I know, but that doesn't mean that I don't feel said about it. It just shouldn't be like this. He should just be around, to tell her more bedtime stories, to teach her about games, as he taught me."

"We all wanted him to stay longer," his mother said, a sad frown on her face. Her grip on her son was just a little tighter. "But we have to be thankful for the time he was with her, and with us," she repeated.

Yuugi simply nodded and withdrew his hand. Tzuziko smacked her lips and made another non-committal sound, as if she was mourning the loss of his warm fingers. The rag doll, her only possession as she left the agency, had been washed and patched up by Yuugi's mother and sat on her pillow, close to her head. Yuugi knew his mother adored Tzuziko, but he wondered if she would love the baby even more if she had been his natural daughter. Yusuke had never pushed Yuugi to find himself a wife and start a family, and she had barely made a comment when he had come home with Atemu, even if she had to blink a few times at her son-in-law looking exactly like…well, her own son.

"You're a responsible parent now," she continued to talk, voice a whisper. "She'll be counting on you, Yuugi-kun."

"Yes, I know," Yuugi said. It filled him with fear and gratitude at the same time. Fear of making mistakes, gratitude for the life he was responsible for; he was glad he didn't have to do it all alone. "I'm so glad mou hitori no boku is here to help me."

Yusuke had never asked why her son and his boyfriend referred to each other the way they did. She didn't understand about Ceremonial Duels, Sennen Items or Pharaohs; all that she knew and cared about, was that Yuugi was happy with his partner. How they choose to call each other, was their business, even if it sounded weird to her in the beginning.

"You're both going to be wonderful parents," she said with the utmost faith in her voice. "Tzuziko-chan couldn't have wished for better fathers."

_Fathers. _How well was this society prepared and willing to accept same sex parents? What kind of trouble was Tzuziko going to deal with in her life? Yuugi was the kind of person to see things in a positive way, but he couldn't deny the difficulties lying ahead of them. Once again, he was really glad he didn't have to do it all alone. With his mother and Atemu to support him, to form a real family, he was sure everything would work out for the best. They would _make _it work out for the best.

"I wish I had his strength, though," Yuugi mumbled. His mother continued to stroke his hair, the motion soothing them both.

"You're also very strong, Yuugi-kun. Don't you ever forget about it."

"Mou hitori no boku says that all the time too."

"So why don't you believe him?"

Yuugi remained silent. Was he really that strong? He, who had buckled immediately when his grandfather died? He couldn't keep the tears from flowing. He had done nothing but cry. Atemu was the one who had taken care of all the arrangements. He was the one keeping the store open and the household going. Atemu had been adamant in his belief that they were ready and fit to be parents and Yuugi had gone along with him, enamored with the idea of forming a perfect, loving family. But now that it was so real, he was getting afraid. What if he was doing it all wrong? Tzuziko was so vulnerable and so dependent. She had a lifetime of sadness and sorrow behind her and she was barely twelve months old.

How strong was he really, if he crumbled like this as soon as something happened? He couldn't even balance his own life, so why would he believe that he was strong? True, his grandfather's passing had a great influence on him, but he had to get himself together - for his mother, for his daughter, for his lover. Yusuke hugged him close.

"It wasn't easy for me either when I had you," she said softly. "I was young and inexperienced, and it scared me too. You just don't know everything, no one does. You'll learn. And yes, as scary as it may sound Yuugi-kun, you will make mistakes. But the both of you can and will face whatever comes on your path."

Yuugi nodded, slightly distracted. He remembered vividly how hard he had fought to find the name of his beloved. Atemu. It couldn't be that his strength had left him!

"Allow yourself some time," his mother encouraged him. "A baby is a really big change in your life, in anyone's life. You have to adjust yourself to this new stage in your life, you have to get used to the change in situation. Don't worry. It'll all work out."

He started to smile. She was right, of course. He couldn't expect everything to stay the same now that a baby was around. Even though she wasn't aware of it, Tzuziko had turned his whole life upside down. A new stage in his life, yes, the one of a parent - and he was going to be the best parent in the world!

"Thanks, kaa-san," he said and pouted at how childish his voice sounded. Yusuke laughed softly and ruffled his hair once more before straightening herself.

"It's time for dinner now, don't you think?"

---------------------

Life went on. It hadn't stood still for a moment, even though it felt like it ever since Yuugi had come home to find his mother crying at the kitchen table and Atemu standing behind her, pale and silent. The former Pharaoh had hold onto that silence as he had taken care of grandfather's funeral and the execution of his estate. He was mostly occupied with the daily grind of running the Game Shop - most of the customers visited to pay their respects and talked about Mutou Suguroku, reminiscing the days when he'd been working at the store, with always a friendly word and advice for everyone.

Yuugi knew he should help out Atemu more, but his whole body felt strangely locked. Daily and practical things, like getting dressed, eating, taking a shower or doing dishes, went on auto- pilot, and he performed his chores mechanically. He had tried to sort his grandfather's belongings, but it had been too emotional and his crying had set off the baby, who was too young to understand why her father was so sad. His feelings of guilt were tripled every time he saw Atemu busy with either the store or the legal paperwork. At this moment, Yuugi just couldn't muster up the willpower and the energy to help him. He couldn't even prioritize his study, he was lucky that he was in the middle of summer holiday, because he couldn't care less about exams and colleges. A little bit of household chores and coddling with his daughter was all that Yuugi did. He wasn't exactly proud of himself, but both Atemu and his mother respected his way of dealing with his grief - which made Yuugi feel even guiltier, as he wanted to be there for the others as well.

It was obvious to him that Atemu had great respect for grandfather and had difficulties dealing with the man's passing. Even though the former Pharaoh didn't show it, completely absorbed in all the things he had to do and his work at the Game Shop, he was more silent than usual, slightly absent-minded whenever Yuugi asked him something. He was afraid Atemu was suppressing his sadness and buried himself in all the work on purpose. He didn't ignore their daughter, not at all, but he certainly didn't allow himself any time to just sit down and…grieve.

This couldn't go on, and Yuugi knew it. He decided to spend some time with Atemu instead of wallowing in his own misery. They weren't a couple to suddenly stop talking to each other. He took a large tray with him, carrying two large mugs of tea, a plate with cookies and biscuits and the mail, and went to the Game Shop. It was fairly quiet; it usually was right after lunch hour, but it would pick up again in an hour or so. A lot of the customers were afraid that the Game Shop would close, even though Otogi's game store was still in town for all their gaming needs.

"I brought you mail, mou hitori no boku," Yuugi said as he pushed the door open. He closed the door again with his foot and walked over to the large counter. Atemu looked up from the paperwork and smiled as usual when he saw his aibou approach.

"Ah, I was just about to look for it myself," he said. "I am expecting a few things."

Atemu took the mail from the tray and leafed through the envelopes. He frowned when he didn't recognize the handwriting on one. Opening it, he noticed it was a card from the United States, from Professor Hopkins and his granddaughter Rebecca, offering condolences. The professor was in bad health himself and hadn't been able to attend the funeral, much to his regret. Rebecca stayed in touch by e-mail, modern technology making it much easier to keep contact between different continents. Yuugi was the one to handle the more personal correspondence. Atemu cared for it too, but Yuugi was much more spontaneous in his writing than he was.

Every other day an e-mail from Anzu in New York arrived, filled with tales and news about her life as a student at the Academy for Performing Arts. Honda mailed often the results from his race team and his sponsors. He was studying for his diplomas to set up shop himself, while Jounouchi still promised to have Tzuziko's car built from scratch. Yuugi didn't know what to do without his friends and their continuous text messages, e-mails and phone calls. He had hoped they would extend the same courtesy towards Atemu and vice versa, but he did notice a small distance between them. They referred to him with the more formal '-san' honorific while almost no one of their group used an honorific for Yuugi. They involved Atemu whenever talking to Yuugi, but there was a slight distance noticeable, albeit not an awkward one. It was strange, because when they had shared bodies still, Atemu had always been 'the other Yuugi' and was called and treated as such. Yuugi assumed that now Atemu had his own body, his own personality surfaced more and more, showing that he wasn't much alike Yuugi.

Atemu opened a few other envelopes, while Yuugi tried to gauge his reaction. He pulled out some newsletters from business associates, a few invoices and finally a letter from the bank, informing them of the total of grandfather's savings and accounts.

"I am almost done with jii-chan's arrangements," Atemu said as he picked up his mug of tea, gently blowing at the hot liquid. Before he could continue, Yuugi put his hand on his, shaking his head. He didn't want to talk about it right now. He wasn't interested in finances or possessions; if it were up to him, his grandfather was still alive and around, and not some clinical, impersonal bank statement.

All his friends had attended the funeral, even Anzu, who had flown over from New York. Yuugi was so glad to see them all, and had made sure to stand around them and not in the middle of grandfather's business associates he didn't know. He had seen the looks given to him and Atemu, and he was fairly sure that their alikeness and the nature of their relationship had been more often a topic of conversation than grandfather's passing. He hated it when that happened. Same sex relationships weren't all that accepted in general, but a relationship with someone who was your spitting image…

"Tzuziko-chan is doing so great," Yuugi said instead. "She says 'Hikari Papa' in the most adorable way!"

Atemu had missed Tzuziko's first words, but he had caught her saying 'Hikari Papa' once in Yuugi's arms, and a few days later 'Yami Papa' when he was holding her. He didn't know where the girl got it from, but he was content with it. However, the former Pharaoh had refused to throw a party to celebrate Tzuziko's arrival; not because he didn't want to, but because he thought it was inappropriate with grandfather's recent passing. Yuugi knew that Atemu's actual reason was that he didn't want to show Tzuziko off as some kind of gift wrapped bundle of candy from a store. Instead, they had gone out to dinner with their best friends after meeting Tzuziko in the safety of their own place. The girl had reacted fairly well to all the visitors; compared to how scared she had been by the people surrounding her in the beginning, this was a very big step ahead for her.

"It is so nice to see her develop and grow," Atemu said. "It is good of you that you are home to experience all of it so close, aibou."

"Yeah, but I have to go back to university soon and make up for the tests I couldn't take due to grandfather's passing," Yuugi said. He hadn't touched his books in weeks.

"Can you not get some parental leave of absence?" Atemu's eyes shimmered with mirth.

"Hey! If anyone should get a leave of absence, it should be you. You've been working so hard lately!"

"I am only doing what needs to be done," Atemu said. Yuugi didn't touch his own tea. Instead he took Atemu's free hand in his own, caressing the ring on his finger.

"You're doing much more than that," Yuugi mumbled. "You're a true Pharaoh, mou hitori no boku. You assume the position of leader when needed, and you rule fairly over us all."

"Leader? Rule? I do hope you do not mean I am imposing on you and your mother?"

"Of course not, no, not at all, that's not how I meant it," Yuugi hurried to correct himself. He smiled. "It's just typically you to step up to the plate, get an overview of the situation and indeed, do what needs to be done. Without complaining, without asking…without thinking about yourself."

Atemu tilted his head a little, curiously looking at Yuugi.

"You look tired, mou hitori no boku," Yuugi said, faintly blushing because he knew very well why the other was all but exhausted.

"I am fine, aibou," was Atemu's standard response, even though he put his tea mug down. Yuugi moved his hand further over Atemu's, pressing a kiss to his fingers.

"Mou hitori no boku, I'm so sorry…"

"We talked about that before, aibou," Atemu said. "You need time to deal with the loss, and no one can tell you how to do that. We also have our daughter to think of; two drastic changes in such short time. Loss and gain, it truly is a sign of how close life and death are to each other."

"I'm just a little worried about you."

"Come here."

Yuugi was all but happy to cuddle with Atemu and all but jumped on his lap. There was no one in the store anyway, and the door bell would chime loud enough if anyone arrived. He kissed him on the neck, searching out his warmth, heaving a sigh of relief as he felt Atemu's arms around him.

"I just feel so guilty, mou hitori no boku. I'm very happy to have Tzuziko-chan, yet I'm constantly asking if I do the right thing. I'm even doubting whether I should go back to the university or not, or just get a job to help out with the finances. I'm so very, very happy to have you…and I'm letting you down."

"You are not," Atemu tried to reassure him. He moved his hand up to ruffle Yuugi's hair. "Aibou, having a child and losing a loved one in such short time puts a lot of stress on you. Like I said, two drastic changes… it is not easy, not even for me. I am also asking if I do the right thing, myself."

"You don't show it," Yuugi pouted. "You have so much confidence."

"Because I have you." Atemu held the ring up in front of him and tapped his nose with it. "As long as we are together, we can face anything. We made a conscious decision to have a child, to start a family. We have a roof over our heads, we have loving friends…"

"We're so very lucky."

"We certainly are."

Yuugi didn't add to that, but kissed Atemu on the neck again, working his way slowly up to his ear. His hand was on Atemu's chest, fingers tracing the buttons of his shirt.

"I was wondering, though…was there any news of my father?"

"What brings this up, aibou?" Atemu sounded surprised, and with good reason. Yuugi barely mentioned his father. Atemu hadn't even met him, as he was always away on business trips.

"I… I don't know," Yuugi said. He was surprised by his own words. "It's just that.. well, even professor Hopkins with his bad health and all across the ocean takes the effort to send a card, and my own father just…doesn't call, doesn't show any sign of life. He's become a grandfather and he just doesn't care."

"We do not know that," Atemu said, but his voice betrayed his disbelief. From the very few times Yuugi's father had come up in discussion, Atemu had never made a secret of his disdain for the man. "We have to give him the benefit of the doubt, aibou."

"Yes, you're right," Yuugi answered, sullen. He felt childish. It looked like almost everyone was a mature, responsible adult but him. "Why don't you close up shop and we spend the afternoon with Tzuziko-chan?"

"That sounds lovely, aibou," Atemu said, and he pressed his lips on Yuugi's. "I will close earlier, but not for the entire afternoon. We need the income."

Yuugi was disappointed, but understood nonetheless. He was about to say something when the door bell chimed loudly; he quickly left Atemu's lap and grabbed the cup of tea and held it in front of him, as if he wanted to act completely innocent. The customer greeted them and started browsing the card games. Atemu hid a small laugh behind his hand.

--------------------------

On a Thursday afternoon, Yuugi was folding the laundry with his mother. He was uncharacteristically silent - only one more week before he had to return to the university. It bothered and frightened him. His summer break was almost over, and he had to make up for the exams he missed. His counsellor had been lenient enough to allow him to take his exams at a later date, but Yuugi's concentration had been far off the scale. He couldn't waste this chance! The university was prepared to make an exception for him, he couldn't afford to screw it up.

"I think there's something on Atemu-san's mind that he finds difficult to share with you, Yuugi-kun," his mother said suddenly, putting another towel to an already impressive stack. The house was fairly quiet, as Atemu was at work in the Game Shop and Tzuziko was enjoying her afternoon nap.

"Mou hitori no boku knows he can discuss anything with me," Yuugi responded. Yusuke nodded and continued folding bed sheets.

"Of course he knows, but he doesn't want to bother you."

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Yuugi-kun, you know it yourself, deep down in your heart," she said. "You took a serious blow, and you have been drained of your energy ever since. I know what he meant to you, Yuugi-kun. It's times like these that I wish your father.. my own husband.. would come home and take some of our burdens away."

Yuugi's hands rested on the linens. "Our burdens," he repeated, softly. "All these burdens, and I'm not even helping out."

"That's not what I meant, dear," Yusuke said. "No one blames you. I'm just afraid you close yourself off a little too much. We have a lot to think about, and we need each other."

"Yes, I know… the Game Shop, money… maybe I should just get a job," he said. He had considered quitting university, but hadn't worked up enough courage to discuss it with Atemu. The former Pharaoh was very high-strung on good education, and he wouldn't agree with Yuugi giving up on his studies, even if it was temporary.

"I think Atemu-san wants you to finish your studies," Yusuke said out loud what he was thinking, "And I want you to finish too - I want to see my son graduate! You're much more valuable for a job if you have a diploma!"

"Kaa-san," Yuugi rolled his eyes and she looked at him sternly. He blushed. He knew how his mother insisted on education - she had found a good partner in Atemu concerning that point of discussion - she had lectured him enough about it when he was still going to Domino High. She even resorted to whacking him with a ladle to get his attention instead of 'wasting time playing card games'.

"I'll talk to mou hitori no boku about it," he said, feeling bad nonetheless. What could Atemu be keeping from him?

-----------------------

He woke up in the middle of the night and immediately realized that he was alone in the bed - Atemu always had his arms around him, and the lack of warmth and the reassurance of protection made him feel cold and lonely. It wasn't the first time that he had been alone in the bed; they had taken turns at going out at night when Tzuziko needed them. The baby had developed a good, solid sleeping schedule and crying at night had become a rarity. As it was, Yuugi heard gentle footsteps, announcing Atemu's return.

Yuugi looked to his right, up to the large ceiling window. When Atemu had moved in, they had turned Yuugi's bedroom into the master bedroom. They had purchased a large bed, to their mutual pleasure. Yuugi had to sacrifice his desk in order to make room. If he wanted to study, he had to take his books down to either the storage room when it wasn't too cold (it didn't have any heating) or to the extremely small office wedged between the storage room and the Game Shop (it was the size of a shoebox). Sometimes he studied at the kitchen table; but that was often more distracting than that actual studying happened.

The door to the room went open and Atemu sneaked in, careful as not to make any sound. Yuugi smiled when he felt the familiar shift in weight on the bed and he rolled towards him, his fingers poking at Atemu's chest. He gasped, not expecting Yuugi to be awake.

"Where have you been, mister?"

"Did I wake you, aibou?"

"No, not at all. I didn't even hear her crying?"

"A bad dream, perhaps," Atemu said and he lied down, relaxing into the pillows. "She did not need a new diaper and she refused to eat. I stayed with her until she was calm enough to fall asleep again."

"Poor little thing," Yuugi said.

"Yes, at least we can talk if we had a bad dream," Atemu said. "But she is safe in her bed, and we are around to comfort her in bad times."

He fell silent and for a moment Yuugi thought that Atemu had fallen asleep too; he was a notorious light sleeper; quick to wake up but also quickly to doze off again.

"Mou hitori no boku," he said. He tapped him on the shoulder. Atemu always wore the bottom part of their pyjamas, Yuugi the top. He liked the way the moon shone upon his lover's tan chest.

"Yes, aibou?"

Gods, it was so good to hear his deep voice in the night. Just the reassurance that he was here, right here in the bed with him…

"I want to ask you something. Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

He couldn't see it, but he could imagine Atemu pursing his lips.

"Why is that, aibou?"

"Well, maybe there's something on your mind…you've been quite silent lately."

"I have been quite busy as of late," Atemu admitted, without any accusation in his voice.

"Silent, not busy." Yuugi cuddled up to him and put his arms around him. He didn't have to wait for long to feel Atemu's arms around his own body. Content, he snuggled even closer. "What's on your mind?"

"I do not think now is the time to talk about it. Go back to sleep, my love."

"So there _is_ something on your mind."

He could hear Atemu chuckle, and heaved a sigh of contentment as warm lips touched his skin.

"It has to do something with jii-chan's estate, right?"

Another kiss, another hug. Who would've thought that Atemu of all people was so touchy-feely behind closed doors? In public, he didn't even hold hands, unless they were among friends; but in the privacy of their own home, Yuugi revelled in the attention he received from the former Pharaoh, especially in moments like these.

"You should focus on your studies," Atemu said, "anything else can wait."

It was late, and maybe this wasn't indeed the best of moments to start talking about what was on his mind. Yuugi made a mental note to ask Atemu again later. He was right; university was just another weekend away, and he was going to be busy enough as it was. It scared and excited him at the same time.

"Mou hitori no boku?"

"Yes, aibou?"

"Did I already tell you today how much I love you?"

"About five times."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

------------------------------

Yuugi had feared that going back to university would be tough on him. To his own amazement, he found himself adjusted after one week already. The semester started up again and he settled into his old routine without a hitch. It was tough to combine the extra study hours for his exams with his regular classes, but after he had cleared that problem, he slid back into the daily grind of life seamlessly.

Weekly lunch with Jounouchi at Fujikawa's had become a tradition. Honda joined in if he could find the time in his schedule. Otogi sometimes joined them too, if he couldn't make it for his usual lunch with Yuugi on Tuesdays. He was a year Yuugi's senior and his workload had doubled. Combined with all his work for his Black Crown game store, it left him little time to actually enjoy lunch, and he was complaining about feeling suffocated. As always, he felt much better after lunch with his friends; they excelled at cheering each other up.

"You look happier, Yuugi," Jounouchi said as he dug into his dish. Fujikawa's was one of the few places that didn't mind seeing their guests in work overalls. "Things are picking up for you again, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Yuugi beamed at him. "I'm so busy with university, home and Tzuziko-chan that I barely have any time left to think about bad things."

"Everyone has his own way of dealing with grief, Yuugi," Honda said. It was one of those rare occasions that he joined them for lunch. It was really too bad that their schedules were so different, unlike the time at Domino High when they shared all their classes. It was the price to pay for growing into adulthood, Yuugi presumed. He was grateful hat they still _were_ friends; so many contacts died down or got lost because of people growing up… and apart.

Honda waved around with his chopsticks. "No one can tell you how to deal with it."

"Come to think of it," Yuugi stared into his soup, "I don't think I've seen mou hitori no boku really grieve."

"Yeah, he'd be the one to bottle it all up." Jounouchi sipped his drink. He looked at Yuugi as if he wanted to examine him. "Don't forget, he's the one at home, dealing with your grandfather's estate. You get out of the house daily, that's why you can deal with it better."

Jounouchi might put it a little crudely, but Yuugi agreed with him. He was convinced that staying at home during the summer break had confronted him again and again with his grandfather's passing. Now that he was at the university and back to his old routine, he found himself able to take a little distance from it. Not that he wanted to forget about his grandfather, but it strangely put things more into perspective.

"I think mou hitori no boku isn't telling me something either."

"What do you mean?" Honda arched an eyebrow. "You seem like the kind of couple that tells each other everything, and I mean _everything_."

"I don't know. He doesn't want me to bother with it, because I needed so much time to deal with jii-chan's passing…"

"There's nothing wrong with that," Jounouchi said. "You can't put a timestamp on grieving."

"Yeah, I know. But I want him to confide in me, and I have the feeling he…I don't know how to say it. I want to be there for him as he is for me, and if he doesn't confide in me…"

"I'm sure he has every bit of faith and confidence in you," Honda said. "Just as you have faith and confidence in him. He'll talk when he wants to talk."

Yuugi smiled at Honda, thankful for his friend's advice - even though he couldn't do much with it. They didn't know Atemu as well as he did, and he was afraid the former Pharaoh was going to keep to himself and bother himself only with it, instead of speaking up. He always revelled in Atemu's protection…but what if that protection was so rigid that the other couldn't, or rather wouldn't, speak his mind? They were adults, parents. They were responsible for their daughter, for each other, for their relationship. It didn't work out if they didn't talk. They had never followed up on that one talk they had in bed; Yuugi because he was too busy with university, Atemu because he didn't want to bother Yuugi. _This has got to change._

With a determined look on his face, Yuugi finished his soup, meanwhile listening to his friends talking about races, cars and motorcycles.

-------------------

He was pleasantly surprised to see the Game Shop closed, even though for some reason Atemu was quicker to close the Game Shop earlier on a Wednesday afternoon than on any other day. Taking the stairs up, he was endeared to find Atemu in the living room, on the floor with Tzuziko and a mountain of building blocks. It was actually quite fun to see him holding a bright, almost fluorescent block and encouraging Tzuziko to build a tower with it. The baby was frowning, taking her task very seriously; she simply rejected the block when it wasn't good or colorful enough in her eyes.

Yuugi heard Atemu talking, but didn't quite understand what he was saying…until it dawned to him that Atemu was teaching Tzuziko the Ancient Egyptian alphabet with the blocks he was giving to her.

"Mou hitori no boku," he laughed as he picked up Tzuziko to cuddle her, "don't you think she's a little too young for that?"

"Hikari papa," the girl said, followed by a perfect rendition of at least the first six vowels of the complicated alphabet.

"Wow, she's good."

Atemu collected the blocks and dumped them in a large box to keep them neat and tidy. "I do think one can not start early enough with education."

Yuugi rolled his eyes again, but didn't comment. He looked at his daughter. After her initial cry of joy at seeing her father, she fell silent again. Tzuziko was silent most of the time. Her eyes showed what she had been through, and it probably would never go away. The intensity, the seriousness she approached life with was something that was entirely characteristic for her, and Yuugi didn't think he could change that. Why would he? Tzuziko didn't deserve to be a victim, or to be victimized. Her bad start shouldn't hamper her growth and development, and Yuugi was here with Atemu to make sure she was going to have the best life possible.

"I'll bring Tzuziko-chan to bed, and then we'll have some coffee together," he said and held the baby on his arm. She immediately stretched her arms towards Atemu.

"No Hikari papa," she said. "Yami papa _bisou!_"

"Don't tell me, you've been teaching her French too?"

Atemu coughed. "Just a little."

Shaking his head but still amused, Yuugi brought Tzuziko to bed, taking his time to tuck her in before returning to the living room. Atemu was gone. Confused, Yuugi was about to go look for him when he returned, with a bundle of paperwork in his arms.

"Mou hitori no boku? We were going to have some coffee?"

"I decided to close up for the rest of the afternoon so I can catch up with all of this," Atemu said as he put the paperwork on the table. "I really need to check these invoices…"

Yuugi shook his head. _Not now._

"Sit down, mou hitori no boku. I want to talk to you about something."

"I am sorry aibou, but if I do not check these papers I…"

"Sit _down_, mou hitori no boku," Yuugi said and startled himself with the commanding tone of his voice. He couldn't help but laugh when he saw Atemu's indignant expression, but he did sit down.

"You should consider a career in the military," Atemu pouted. Yuugi blushed faintly and took a seat next to Atemu, but not before he shoved the paperwork to the other corner of the table so they couldn't get distracted by it.

"I want you to tell me what's on your mind." Yuugi lifted up his finger and put it on Atemu's lips when the other was taking a breath, probably to protest. "I want you to tell what it is, if it has to do with jii-chan's estate or not, I can take it. I want to know, mou hitori no boku. I don't want anything to stand between us. You can tell me, whatever it is."

"Are you sure?" Atemu said. His eyes were slightly narrowed, and suddenly Yuugi had to swallow. Despite his tough words, he didn't know if he was really prepared to hear what Atemu had to say. The former Pharaoh could be so…forceful sometimes. He searched out his hand, and Atemu was quick to put his other hand on his.

"All right, aibou. It is…I am not sure if I want to continue the game store as it is, aibou. I...I am not exactly comfortable with working as a store clerk."

In a flash, Yuugi recalled the short talk he'd had with his grandfather. The elderly man, already bedridden, had said that he didn't expect the Game Shop to be a Game Shop forever. He wanted Yuugi and Atemu, who he obviously fully respected as his grandson's life partner, to do what they wanted, and not to continue the Game Shop out of some kind of misplaced feelings of tradition. He had told Yuugi that he didn't see Atemu as a store clerk for the rest of his life, and he didn't want to saddle either one of them with the feeling that they were obliged to continue the Game Shop.

"You have your study to focus on for at least three more years," Atemu continued. "I can take care of Tzuziko and work at home. I was thinking of keeping the store though, but with a different purpose - not a Game Shop, but an antiquary… you know, oddities, rare book prints, exclusive statues, those kinds of things."

"I think that's a great idea," Yuugi said without one second of hesitation.

Atemu seemed to be shocked, surprised and relieved at the same time. He squeezed Yuugi's hand.

"Do you really think so, aibou?"

"Was that what was bothering you?" Yuugi asked, and he stroked Atemu's hair. His fingers dipped a little lower, touching his ear shell. A golden earring was clipped to it, as he was slowly saving up to buy jewellery similar to his days as a Pharaoh. Gold looked extremely good on him…

Atemu nodded. Yuugi leaned into him and wrapped his arms around him in a bear-like hug.

"Mou hitori no boku, I'm so glad you told me this! I didn't know… I'm so sorry! I should've known, I should've talked to you sooner…"

"I was not sure how to bring this up to you, aibou," Atemu said, his eyes their usual size now that he felt relieved. "I thought you wanted to keep everything in its old state. The Game Shop is jii-chan's legacy after all. You were so sad, aibou, after his passing, and it hurt me so much that I could not take that pain away from you."

"Oh, mou hitori no boku, you kept this all to yourself, all alone. What a burden it had to be! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I could not find the right opportunity to talk about it, aibou. With all the changes, the baby, jii-chan, your sadness, my sadness…"

"I should've known," Yuugi said, hugging him even tighter. "I should've noticed that you weren't feeling really happy. You got all this responsibility shoved at you and you took it, because you're a true and real Pharaoh."

"Aibou… I need air."

"Ah… right." Yuugi loosened his grip, but didn't pull away from Atemu completely. He could see how the other was relieved, more relaxed. "I'm sorry, mou hitori no boku. It wasn't fair that you got all this thrown into your lap. You did your best to keep the store open and the household going, and I can't thank you enough for that. If it weren't for you, we would've completely crumbled and crashed."

Atemu nodded. "A lot had to be done," he said, "and a lot needed to be done. We are a very rich family, aibou, but not in the financial sense. That was why I had to keep the store open."

"Is it that bad?" Yuugi felt sad. "I can look for a job and keep the university on hold…"

"No, no studies on hold," Atemu said sternly. He put his free hand on Yuugi's cheek, stroking the skin. He heaved a small sigh. "I will be happy to hold the store open and earn us a regular income for as long as you need to study."

"That's not true, mou hitori no boku," Yuugi said. "What did we just talk about? I can't expect you to do work you're not really happy with for another three years!"

"If it has to be done…"

"No," Yuugi interrupted him. "I want you to be happy. I don't want you to sacrifice three years to do this all for me."

Atemu opened his mouth again to protest, but Yuugi cut him short once more.

"No, mou hitori no boku. I want all of us to be happy. I'm very sure you can turn the Game Shop into a nice antiquary, and build up a new circle of customers. We might have to scrape by, but as long as we can give our daughter what she needs and we can afford the house, the university, food and clothes.. well, uhm… I'm sure we'll manage to survive."

"We can manage that," Atemu answered dryly. "If we cut those terribly expensive lunches at Fujikawa's."

"Wheat? But- but…"

"Kidding, just kidding, aibou."

"That's just cruel, mou hitori no boku."

"I am sorry aibou, that was not my intention."

"You fall for everything, as long as I say it, don't you?"

"What?"

"Never mind. Kiss me!"

Atemu was happy to comply, and they kissed. Yuugi felt himself all but melt into the loving kiss, once more grateful that the Gods had granted Atemu to be on this Earth, restoring his body and his life. He knew he couldn't be a Pharaoh in this lifetime, but Yuugi admired his strength to adapt and adjust himself. Dealing in antiquities was something cut out for him, and as he worked from home, he could be around Tzuziko and Yusuke to keep an eye on everything. It was a very reassuring thought, and a lifestyle that both could be content with.

Yuugi knew he had some tough years ahead of him, but one day he would come home with his degree and find a good job to support his family properly. Until then, they had time enough to settle into their new lives, as parents, as lovers, as partners.

"You have to promise me one thing though, mou hitori no boku," Yuugi broke up the kiss.

"What is that, aibou?"

"I want jii-chan's room to stay the same for now," Yuugi said. "No changes."

"I was not planning to…"

"I know. But we don't have a guest room any more, and when we're going to have a second child sooner or later, we won't have any other room for the new baby but jii-chan's. For now, let's just leave it, okay?"

Atemu nodded. "As you wish, aibou." He kissed him again. "Such sadness."

"I miss him."

"I miss him too, aibou."

Another kiss, a deep, passionate kiss. Yuugi revelled in Atemu's presence, enjoying his warmth and protection. He felt safe with him, respected and appreciated. There was no other person he could ever be more in love with than his own other self, and he couldn't care less what people thought about it. Atemu was the only one to understand him, to give him this much room, to connect to him on this kind of level.

He didn't feel sad anymore. He had a wonderful partner, a loving mother and a beautiful baby girl in his life. Jii-chan was still a part of that, even if he wasn't physically around. He would always be a part of this family.

---------------------------


	4. Chapter 4

Title: A Sorta Fairytale, pt. 3 - "and I knew then it would be a life long thing"  
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!  
Characters: Yami no Yuugi/Atemu & Mutou Yuugi  
Prompt: # 27 Parents  
Word Count: 10.548  
Rating: G  
Summary: Life goes on for the Mutou family, welcoming a son in their midst and dealing with the daily grind of work, social obligations and friends, as well as the hardship of being responsible and adequate parents.

Author's Notes: End of series 'fix-it'. Shounen ai. Made up name for Yuugi's mother: "Yusuke". Characters are around 24-25 of age.

Key: - = scene change

* * *

"Don't forget, Mutou, I want that improved design on my desk before the end of the day, got it?"

"Yes Kaiba-ku..-san, Kaiba-san," Yuugi said, nodding to the tall man at the head of the table, laptop in front of him, fingers deftly clicking at the keys. He knew he was dismissed as soon as the words had been spoken, reminding himself at the very last moment to refer to Kaiba as '-san' instead of the more informal '-kun'.

Even though Yuugi and Kaiba had been through quite the adventures together, it didn't make them friends - at least, not in Kaiba's book. Nonetheless, Yuugi was one of the very few people Kaiba tolerated to address him with the '-san' honorific in public. Any other employee of Kaiba Corporation didn't even dare to think of using something less than a '-sama' in respect to their CEO.

"I expect your report before the end of the day, Nakari," Kaiba continued, not looking up from his laptop. "I want a full-detailed description of your latest additions, and clarifications of the test results."

"Yes, Kaiba-sama." The impeccably dressed man next to Yuugi quickly rose from his seat to bow to his employer. Yuugi showed Nakari Suzomi a warm smile - they had worked together on several projects. Recently, Kaiba had been striving for the launch of a new gaming console and had assigned Nakari to lead the development team, with Yuugi in charge of the software. With his unique knack for and experience with gaming, Yuugi's designs were greatly applauded and anticipated. The development team worked extremely hard to meet the deadline of the launch.

Kaiba wanted to leave his competition speechless for a long time to come. The gaming market was difficult at the moment, and despite his innovating holographic technology, it was even difficult for Kaiba to keep his leading position. Yuugi had no doubt that the tall CEO would come out on top, as usual; Kaiba had the business instincts and a great (and expensive) team of developers, researchers and designers at his disposal. He idly toyed with his pen, waiting for the meeting to be disbanded.

He didn't have to wait too long. Kaiba all but ordered everyone to leave the room, and Yuugi quickly collected his paperwork, stuffing it together with his laptop in his suitcase. He had never imagined himself with a suitcase. More so, he had never imagined a career like he had now to begin with. Nakari waited at the door and walked next to him through the large hallways of Kaiba Corp. headquarters. He was one of the few colleagues Yuugi interacted the most with, and also one of the few genuinely friendly people around in the large building. A lot of Kaiba's employees were fixed on themselves and their projects and not really open to interaction, unfortunately.

Yuugi pushed the button to the elevator, heaving a small sigh. It was easy for Kaiba to demand an improved design before the end of the day - before the end of a very, very long day. Nakari smiled a little sheepishly, knowing that Yuugi was thinking of all the work he still had to do.

"Keep me up to date, Mutou-san?" He asked, wanting to talk details through before handing in his own report.

"All right, Nakari-san," Yuugi answered and bade the man goodbye, hopping into the elevator to ride the way up to his own floor.

The day Yuugi graduated from Domino City University and was looking forward to take a few weeks off, both Pegasus and Kaiba had called him, offering jobs and bidding on him as if he were a lot in an auction. Otogi had been right, in hindsight, even though it had confused Yuugi why exactly _both_ CEO's wanted to have _him_. On one hand, he found himself in a sheer impossible and luxurious position to choose between jobs. On the other hand, Yuugi knew that whoever he would choose, he would more than probably anger the other.

Atemu suggested that Yuugi should work for the person he felt more comfortable and at ease with - Pegasus, who he hadn't seen since Duelist Kingdom and was known for his eccentric, flamboyant behavior, or Kaiba, who he knew from school and everything they had been through - Battle City, Doma, the Kaiba Grand Prix, the Memory World - and who was far more distant. Both CEO's had their own advantages and disadvantages; Yuugi weighed his options long and seriously before making a choice.

It came as a total surprise to his friends and family that he decided to work for Pegasus and his Industrial Illusions. Yuugi favored the core business of I2, focused on designing, developing and the 'heart' of games, over Kaiba Corp's technology: the latest consoles, platforms and holographic 3-D systems. Over time, both companies had become rather interwoven, to the point of occasional cooperation to keep both their respective positions in the market. Yuugi found himself working for, or rather with, Kaiba more than once, leading him to have an office at both headquarters.

His office at I2 was rather cramped, filled with cartoon-y memorabilia and an old fashioned arcade slot machine, whereas his office at KaibaCorp was spacious but sparsely decorated - the interior decoration reflected the heart of the two companies. For this particular project, Yuugi spend two days a week at KaibaCorp and the rest of his workweek was spent at I2. This project was the biggest collaboration between Pegasus and Kaiba so far; if this simultaneous launch of console and games proved to be fruitful, their grip on the market would be more solid than any separate achievements.

When Yuugi reached his office, his secretary Fukata Sasuke, greeted him.

"Mutou-san! I'm very happy you survived the meeting!"

"Me too, Fukata-san," he chuckled. It was a running gag that Kaiba fired at least two people at every meeting, but Yuugi had yet to see the CEO lose his temper and fire someone on the spot. "Any messages?"

"Here they are, Mutou-san," the woman answered crisply. "I have taken the liberty to adjust some meetings to match your work schedule. You can find every change bookmarked in your agenda."

"Thank you." Yuugi leafed through the message slips. He went into his office and flopped down on the large couch. He was still baffled as to why he had one of the largest offices in the building; only Kaiba's was larger, disposing over a bathroom and a bedroom, conveniently providing everything in case its occupant needed to work late - which in Kaiba's case, was almost every day.

Yuugi's paycheck described him as a Software Engineer, By all means, he should've ended up as a drone slaving away in his cubicle instead of having his own, very nice office. It might have something to do with his infallible success with games, Yuugi mused. He only had to take a look at the glass display case in the right corner to be reminded of the awards he had won with his innovating, uniquely designed games.

As he took his cell phone out of his pants pockets and flipped it open, he glanced at the clock. Three in the afternoon. Usually it was Atemu who called him, a tradition he started from the very first day Yuugi attended university. Often, his call or text message was a more than welcome break between the long, tedious meetings.

"Home," Yuugi said as he flopped on the couch. The speech recognition software immediately dialed the number. He reclined into the comfortable cushions, waiting for the phone to be answered. He didn't have to wait long.

"Moshi moshi?" A very young girl's voice rang into his ear.

"Who am I speaking to?" Yuugi asked in return, lowering his voice a little so his daughter wouldn't recognize him immediately.

"Mutou family, Mutou Tzuziko speaking!"

"Why hello there, Tzuziko-chan!"

"Hikari Papa!"

"How has my bright little daughter been today?"

"We went to the zoo," the girl said enthusiastically. "I almost fell into the lions' cage!"

"What? The lions' cage? Let me guess, you wanted to pet them to see if they would purr just like a kitty?" Yuugi asked, amused yet terrified. Tzuziko was a veritable 'researcher', as Atemu called her. Their little girl was extremely interested in finding out the how and what, action and reaction, the reason behind how things worked, and she wouldn't stop at nothing until she knew the details, not satisfied with an explanation until she put it to the test herself. "You have to be careful, Tzuziko-chan."

"At least I saw them up close," she said triumphantly. Yuugi had to stifle a chuckle. He could only imagine the look on the teacher's face before plucking her away from being so close to a dangerous animal. Atemu would probably have lectured her sternly for hours about the danger of ignoring signs and warnings, and disobeying - or rather, scaring - the teacher. Education was near holy to the former Pharaoh, and he wouldn't take it lightly if Tzuziko had made things difficult for her teacher. She sounded far too cheerful, though.

"Can you get me Yami Papa, sweetheart?" Yuugi asked, unable to hide the amusement in his voice.

"Yaaaa~aaaaaami Papa! Hikari Papa on the phone!"

Yuugi winced, not only from the sheer volume, but also from the loud "clunk" as Tzuziko dropped the horn unceremoniously on the side table. He heard footsteps and other noises he couldn't identify, before the horn was picked up again.

"Good afternoon, Hikari Papa." As always, Atemu sounded steadfast and confident, calm and collected, warm and reliable. Yuugi couldn't get enough of his voice. "How was the meeting?"

"It was awful! Kaiba-kun wants the new design this afternoon! It's going to be so much work, and he wants it now now now!"

"Well Kaiba is smart enough not to launch a console if there are not any games available for it yet," Atemu said. "However, he should not push his team to unreachable limits. I guess this means you are working late?"

"At least he pays well for overtime," Yuugi answered sourly.

"With only... what was it... three weeks before the official launch, he darn better pay well for all the overtime he is putting you through." Yuugi heard the silent reproach Atemu would never speak out loud: _You took on too much work, aibou. Next time, stop being so kind to say 'yes' to everything and do not allow someone to abuse your expertise and ideas or to involve you in their projects and make you do all the work while they sit back and relax._

"All right, give me a call as soon as you head home," Atemu continued, "so I know when I have to put dinner in the oven."

"You're so cute when you're acting so domestic, mou hitori no boku," Yuugi blurted out.

"Yes, yes, I miss you too, aibou."

"So many hours until I see you again…"

"You have a picture of me on your desk."

"Mou hitori no boku…"

Atemu yielded and chuckled. "Aibou, soon it will be weekend… you will see me all day long! Besides, we see each other every night."

"Oh, shut up," Yuugi said. "I just want to see you _now, _and kiss you… I wish you worked here."

"I doubt Kaiba would like to handle two Mutous," Atemu deadpanned. "It is better for the both of us if you are the one bringing in the money, while I slave over a hot stove for my beloved and well-praised partner and award-winning game designer."

Yuugi pouted and wanted to make a kissy-face at the phone, but remembered at the last second that it didn't have a video screen.

"Knowing you and your uncontrollable behavior to protect your territory, you would overthrow Kaiba in no time and turn his company into Pharaoh Corp.," he joked and was promptly startled by a firm knock on his door. That would be either his secretary or Nakari, and he didn't want to be caught talking about private affairs. After a quick goodbye, Yuugi jumped to his feet just in time as the door opened.

"Kaiba-kun?" He couldn't keep the surprise from his voice when he saw the other stepping into the office. With no other people around, Yuugi immediately fell back to the more informal '-kun'.

"Yuugi," the other answered sourly, his gaze sweeping over the tidy, large room. The strange thing was that Kaiba reverted to calling him 'Yuugi' when no one was around, opposed to the more distant 'Mutou' in public. "Have you finished the new design yet? It's imperative that it's finished today."

"We still have three weeks," Yuugi protested.

"That's three weeks too short," Kaiba snapped. "We have promotions set up all over the country, huge press-conferences and a contest coming up! There's a lot riding on this launch, I want everything to be in perfect working order! We can't afford mistakes!"

"Yes, Kaiba-kun," Yuugi said. What else could he say? He wanted the new console to be a big success, just like Kaiba, and he could only imagine the pressure on the other's shoulders.

"How are things at home?" Kaiba brusquely changed the subject. His gaze was directed at Yuugi's desk, the one with the framed pictures on it. Yuugi's eyes went wide. It was nothing like Kaiba to ask something this personal. He was notorious for his status as bachelor. Every new relationship, no matter how short, was a source of entertainment to every gossip magazine in town. Yuugi couldn't imagine how it felt to live with such media pressure. Secretly, he couldn't help but think that a nice, loving significant other would do Kaiba more good than focusing exclusively on running his business - but on the other hand, this was Kaiba Seto.

"Everything goes well," he answered truthfully. "Mou hitori no boku has the shop to maintain, with sales going slow but steady, and the kids are a handful…but it's all worth it."

"You adopted another one, huh?" Kaiba snorted. He knew of course, as he had approved Yuugi's paternity leave himself. Kaiba Corp. took great pride in its extended employee benefits; leave of absence was granted in case of a newborn or an adopted child.

"Kazuo-kun is a little over two years old by now," Yuugi said proudly, his head turning to the right, towards his desk. The large golden frame prominently featured a picture of himself, Atemu, Tzuziko and little Kazuo; cliché perhaps, but Yuugi couldn't care less. His family meant everything to him. He wondered what Kaiba's intentions were, as he didn't think the CEO had come to visit him for small talk.

"Still at home, huh?"

It took Yuugi a minute before deciphering to what Kaiba was referring to, though he should have known. If there was anyone Kaiba stubbornly refused to call with his first name, it was Atemu. For reasons unknown, Kaiba never called him "Pharaoh" or "Atemu" or even "Other Yuugi". To his own embarrassment, Yuugi still hadn't dared to ask Kaiba as to why he did that.

"Mou hitori no boku is still at home, yes." A smile tugged at his lips. He knew what Kaiba wanted to know: if Atemu wanted to or was going to return to the gaming world one day. Both Yuugi and the former Pharaoh had left the dueling competition behind them years ago. Atemu had never touched his deck again after losing the Ceremonial Battle. In his year traveling around the world and winning every competition imaginable, Yuugi had taken the same decision. Upon his return home, he put away his deck, to never touch it again unless for a friendly duel with Atemu, and even then they used the board game, not the Duel Disks. It brought back memories and a fond smile on both their faces, especially when playing their mutual favorite card: the Dark Magician.

Kaiba had left professional dueling soon after Yuugi had retired, claiming to solely focus on KaibaCorp.. His three Blue Eyes White Dragon cards were framed on the wall in his office. A persistent rumor was that Kaiba had retired because there was no one, especially after Yuugi had said his farewell, left or good enough to offer him a proper challenge. The card game itself had decreased significantly in popularity over the years. There were still circles of hardcore duelists around, but the game itself simply didn't have the same impact as it used to. No more large tournaments were being held, let alone competitions involving prize money. New games and consoles, like Kaiba was about to launch, had taken its place.

"If he's happy playing for housewife," Kaiba snorted, "then let him spend his time at home."

"I'm not sure if mou hitori no boku is… suitable for an office job," Yuugi coughed behind his hand. "He's very happy with the children and the store."

"You don't sell games anymore, do you?"

"No, only antiquities," Yuugi said, amusedly looking at Kaiba. "Ancient things."

"Hm," Kaiba snorted again, "that's no way to end for a duelist."

"Kaiba-kun, if you want to duel him, or me, you can always call…"

"Don't forget about the console design," Kaiba interrupted him and turned to leave the office. "I want it on my desk as soon as possible."

He was out the door before Yuugi could answer.

* * *

It was late, way past usual business hours when Yuugi stuck his key in the front door of the house. The store was long since closed, the blinds shut, and no light but a small one just above the door. He was tired, completely worn out. He had managed to hammer out a good, solid design with Nakari to meet Kaiba's demands, but now he felt ready to pass out. Turning the keys around, he opened the door, heaving a sigh in exhaustion. Finally Friday! He had a weekend ahead of him. He startled when he realized he wasn't alone in the hallway.

"Kaa-san?"

"There you are, Yuugi-kun," his mother answered him, showing an apologetic smile as her hands left the vase with flowers she had been rearranging. Mutou Yusuke hadn't changed over the years, be it for a small, constant shimmer of sadness in her eyes. After the passing of her father, Yuugi's grandfather Mutou Sugoroku, and barely any word from her husband, life seemed to take its toll on her. Yuugi didn't like it how his mother was often silent, despite her obvious joy and pleasure helping out with her grandchildren.

"Atemu-san is in the kitchen," she said. "We've been waiting for you."

"Kaa-san, it's way too late for the kids," Yuugi protested as he put his coat on the rack. Her smile warmed, always growing fondly whenever the children were mentioned.

"Just go to the kitchen," she said and her hands went back to the bouquet of flowers.

"Hikari Papa!" Tzuziko interrupted them both. "You are eighty-five minutes late!"

Of course she would rather count the exact minutes that he was late, instead of spontaneously fling herself into his arms. Yuugi bend a little and opened his arms, and she came towards him to answer the hug, albeit awkwardly - Tzuziko simply wasn't the hugging kind of person.

"Hikari Papa, I want a lion," she said.

"I know you've been giving your birthday a lot of thought," Yuugi said. "But we really don't have room for a lion, and they're dangerous."

"Not if I take care of him, Hikari Papa," the girl answered, dead serious.

"Tzuziko-chan, a lion is not suitable for our home." Yuugi put a kiss on her nose. She scrunched up her face. She seemed to frown a lot more than kids her age. "Besides, they're not suitable pets. A Hello Kitty for example…"

"I don't want Hello Kitty, Hikari Papa," Tzuziko all but spat out. "They're stupid and…" She wanted to say more, but kept silent when her brother crawled into the room.

"Kazuo-kun!" Yuugi immediately picked the toddler up, who crowed with delight. "It's way past your bedtime, little man!"

Kazuo flailed with his arms and barely missed Yuugi's head. The young boy was slightly underdeveloped and uncoordinated; he wasn't able to walk yet, even though he should for his age. Born to an addictive mother and unknown father, he'd been quite ill, spending the first twelve months of his life battling the drug addiction in his system and a very nasty pneumonia. He was given u pfor adoption and at fourteen months, a little older than Tzuziko had been, Kazuo came into the Mutou family, welcomed with love and proper care. However, his behavior was still erratic, as he was developing a very quick temper and used aggression to get his emotions across. In his good moments though, he could be just as happy and kind as any other baby.

"Hikari papa," he blurted out, using the same way to refer to Yuugi as his sister.

"Hey little guy," Yuugi said and cuddled him. Immediately the boy started to wail as if he had been hurt, even though Yuugi had been very careful. It was one of those moments that Kazuo could turn 180 degrees in just a second and there was nothing anyone could do about it. The adoption agency had recommended having 'lots of patience' with him. Kazuo wailed and struggled to get out of Yuugi's arms. In a split second he didn't know what to do and was about to put Kazuo back on the floor, when Yusuke took him out of his hands. Kazuo immediately calmed down. She bounced him on her arm a little and shushed him, making funny noises to which he started to laugh adorably. Tzuziko didn't comment, she was observing as usual.

Yuugi heaved a small sigh and walked into the kitchen.

"There you are, mou hitori no boku," he said, a wide smile appearing on his face.

"I am sorry aibou, I am running late," Atemu said. "The last client took longer than I expected. I am afraid it is going to be just chicken teriyaki tonight."

"You know I eat everything you make." Yuugi closed the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around Atemu and rested with his face against his back. "Or we could call for take-out."

"No hamburgers for you, aibou. I am done in just a minute." Atemu finished stirring in the large pan and at the same moment, the rice cooker chimed. Yuugi kept leaning on him and Atemu didn't show he was a bother.

"Kaiba yelled at you?" He asked.

"Just a little. Something with designs and gaming platforms… I don't want to talk about work now."

"All right, aibou. Just remember, if he crosses the line…"

"You know Kaiba-kun," Yuugi said, "he _always _crosses the line. He's Kaiba Seto, there are no lines for him."

Atemu chuckled. "I get the point."

He turned around to return the hug, and Yuugi looked up, tilting his head and pursing his lips for a kiss at the same time. He didn't need to wait for long to feel Atemu's lips on his.

"Mmmm…."

"Aibou…"

"Mou hitori no boku…"

He fingered the large earrings Atemu was wearing. For his twenty-fifth birthday - everyone assumed it was the same day as Yuugi's, and he never protested - the gang of friends had chipped in to buy Atemu exact copies of the earrings he wore as a Pharaoh. He already wore the ones clipped to his ear shell, slowly saving up for more of his previous jewelry. He also wore two rings- one of them was the one Yuugi had given him, sealing their relationship.

When the Gods restored his body, Atemu ended up with a mixture between his Pharaoh looks and when he had still inhabited Yuugi's body. His tan wasn't as deep and his hair was wilder, with even more spikes. Yuugi couldn't thank the Gods enough for it - he adored ruffling Atemu's wilder hair, and was secretly a little jealous of his beautiful and sexy even tan.

"Just kiss me once more, mou hitori no boku."

"That is a command I will gladly obey, aibou."

They were completely caught up in the kiss when they heard rapid pitter-patter of childrens' feet.

"Obaa-san! Yami Papa and Hikari Papa are kissing again!"

* * *

After dinner, both children went immediately to bed, much to a vocal protest from Kazuo. After the children finally were sound asleep, Yusuke retired for the night as well. The living room was empty now, and they finally had some privacy. Yuugi crept close to Atemu on the couch, heaving a content sigh as soon as he felt the other's arms wrapped around him. He had fixed himself a nice lemonade drink and nuzzled up to Atemu, who was reading a book. There was a glass of wine on the side table- Atemu enjoyed a small glass every now and then, much to Yuugi's amusement; it was rare to see Atemu indulge himself into something.

"I love quality time like this," Yuugi said, smiling. He didn't mind to work hard, but he valued his free time, enjoying spending it with his family. He also didn't mind to be the main breadwinner. The GameShop used to provide a steady income, but after Sugoroko's death, Atemu had converted the store into an antique shop rather than to continue selling games. Antiques were an entire different market than popular card games, so they couldn't rely entirely on profits yet. "What was the story with Tzuziko-chan and the lion's den?"

Atemu closed the book and put it on the side-table, focusing his attention on Yuugi. "She managed to get separated from the group and wandered around unsupervised. She got to talk to the lions' caretaker and was trying to persuade him to let her into the cage; she wanted to know if lions were really overgrown kitties or not."

"She's so smart," Yuugi said. "Dangerously smart."

"Aibou, the principal mentioned again that it might be better for her to skip a class. She is easily bored and distracted, and she is disobeying her teacher. She makes the rest of the class nervous and uncomfortable with her behavior."

"She's barely out of kindergarten, how would they even know?"

"She is a genius," Atemu beamed. "They already acknowledge her talent."

"She might be smart, but I'm afraid it would only widen the gap between her and her peers. Yes, I know you would love to discuss Ancient Egypt history with her, but don't you think we should wait?"

"Such intelligence and talent as hers must be nurtured and stimulated," Atemu said.

"I know, mou hitori no boku, but she has trouble interacting with her peers as it is. She barely gets invited to birthday parties or play dates, and she never brings a class mate home! We should really wait some time and see how she develops."

"If you say so, aibou." Atemu yielded reluctantly. Yuugi knew how much Atemu wanted her to advance, proud as he was of their smart daughter, but it broke Yuugi's heart to see Tzuziko so alone, with only books as her friends. It reminded of how lonely he had been, until he met Jounouchi… hopefully Tzuziko would meet someone like him soon, a friend through thick and thin… but now it was time to change the subject.

"Talking about birthday parties, hers is coming up soon! We have to think about a gift." He looked Atemu straight in the eyes. "She's not getting the Encyclopaedia Britannica for her fifth birthday, mou hitori no boku."

"Everyone should have an encyclopedia, aibou. And this year's edition comes with a wonderful leather-bound cover."

"Kids these days don't use hardcover encyclopedias anymore. It's all about Internet and Google, you know that."

Atemu snorted. "Nothing trumps a solid encyclopedia. Google, my ass!"

"Why, that certainly sounds like something I'd love to Google!"

"Aibou, why must you take things literally at the most inappropriate times?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who started talking about their ass and Googling it!"

"I did not…keep your hands there."

"You're such a pervert."

"Hello Kitty," Yuugi said and busted out laughing at Atemu's confused face. "The cute kitty with the big head?" he clarified.

"Aibou, she does not like girly stuff. Fads and frills are not her taste."

"She likes Anzu's lamp all right!"

"That is because she adores her sugar aunt in everything she does," Atemu answered.

"True." Yuugi snuggled closer to him, enjoying the strong, even breathing of the other and the calmness that surrounded him. His hands were still low, moving and stroking, just to touch Atemu, just to convince himself he was still there, like always, forever…just as Yuugi was about to say something, the telephone rang.

"Who could that be? At this hour?"

"You will never find out unless you answer, aibou," Atemu said. Yuugi stuck out his tongue, muttering "smarty pants" under his breath. He reluctantly wrestled himself free and swiped the horn from the cradle.

"Moshi moshi?"

He listened for a second, and then his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Anzu!"

After finishing her prestigious dance school in the United States, Anzu had opted to stay for another four years, dancing at high grossing venues, both ballet and modern. She chose to return to Japan and build up a career at home. Yuugi had been extremely excited upon her return, having feared she would marry some rich American and he'd barely see her again. They continued their friendship as if there never had been an ocean between them; the circle of friend was complete again, even though they couldn't get together as much as they used to, due to social obligations, work and other commitments.

"So the tour has ended? And you're going to audition for what..? Wow!" Yuugi's voice went up a few notches, until he turned around and whispered to Atemu: "Anzu wants to have lunch with me."

"Tell her that you are already taken," Atemu said as he winked at Yuugi.

"You're such a meanie!" Yuugi shook his head. "No Anzu, that wasn't meant for you, mou hitori no boku tried to be funny… I didn't know he had a sense of humor either… Lunch sounds fine! Where do you want to meet up? Yes, I know that restaurant. All right, I'll be there!"

Yuugi hung up and turned around to cuddle up to Atemu once more.

"How come I have not been invited?" the former Pharaoh said, mock-pouting. Yuugi nuzzled his neck.

"Because I am the sexiest of us two."

"Now that is a lie, aibou. And what was that about me not having a sense of humor?"

"I'm not telling lies, and you know that! Now, to make it up to me, you'll have to kiss me all night long."

"Your logic is not of this world, but I am happy to comply." Atemu nipped at Yuugi's lips. There was no more talk after that, only the sounds of intense kissing and soft murmurs of pleasure.

* * *

Takanewa's was a high-class restaurant, and Yuugi felt a little intimidated. This place was so different from Fujikawa's, and the decadent, lush decoration made him feel uncomfortable. He hadn't thought that Anzu liked this kind of restaurant, so posh and decadent. Even with his paycheck, he didn't think he could afford to eat out here often.

"Yuugi," a female voice startled him out of his thoughts and he turned around, a brilliant smile on his face. Anzu already opened her arms for a big hug and he was happy to return the gesture. Their hug was a little firmer and longer than a hug between 'just friends', but after all they'd been through and how long they knew each other, it was still a genuine, gentle moment of deep-rooted care and friendship.

"You look wonderful," Yuugi said, breathlessly. Not wonderful, but perfect - the designer clothes looked stellar on her, and her hair was so long that she usually kept it in a graceful bun, only not today. The strands reached way past her shoulders and she kept any bangs out of her face with an elegant headband. The purse she put on the table was from a big brand name as well. Anzu moved in quite the different social and cultural circles, her dancing career had soared to great heights.

"You look wonderful yourself," she said and joined him at the table. As soon as the waiter took care of their orders - healthy salad for Anzu, soup and a sandwich for Yuugi - they started talking.

"I'm so glad to see you," Yuugi said. "It's been a while!"

"It's awful that our schedules are so busy," she exclaimed, sighing dramatically. "As soon as you're an adult, you don't have any time for yourself! Fortunately we have e-mail and text messages to stay in touch."

"It's so hectic, with work and family and all," Yuugi admitted. "The evenings go by so fast, and the weekends… they just seem to fly!"

"I know what you mean," Anzu said a little sourly, "there's so much to do and so little time. I can barely keep up with life as it is! I wish we were still at high school, when we only had to worry about our homework. Sort of."

The waiter interrupted them to serve lunch, and Yuugi took a bite of his sandwich. It tasted heavenly… as it should be, for the amount of money they were charging for it. It was definitely different than plain ol' Fujikawa's.

They talked about school and their friends: how Jounouchi had opened up his own car repair shop and was fairly successful with his restoration of old classic cars, how Honda was busy sponsoring his race team and had taken up courting Nosaka Miho again, instead of chasing after Jounouchi's younger sister, Shizuka. As Anzu finished her salad, she used the napkin to dab at her lips, still smiling at the last memory they just shared.

"Yuugi, there's something I wanted to give to you, in person." Her voice sounded soft, a little hesitant, and a faint blush colored her cheeks. Yuugi tilted his head, curious. Anzu opened her purse and took out a card, handing it to Yuugi. It was a snow white card with a round lace-patterned edge, two doves entwined with a ribbon printed on the front side. He opened it.

"Hitsumono Warimi and Mazaki Anzu cordially invite you to their wedding," he read out aloud. "You're going to marry Warimi-kun? Anzu, that's great!"

"I wanted you to be the first one to get a card," Anzu said, supporting her head with her hand. "I wanted to give it to you in person, instead of sending it out with all the others."

"Really? It's an honor! This is such great news! Congratulations!"

"Warimi knows so many people," Anzu said. "I hoped for an intimate ceremony, just friends and family… but we made a compromise, and decided to throw a big party for everyone. When you get married, you better do it right!"

She continued stirring her iced tea, a melancholic look brushing her face. "Years ago, I thought I was in love with Atemu-san, Yuugi."

"I know." Yuugi blushed faintly. "Years ago, I thought our friendship would evolve in something more, but I never wanted to stand in the way between you and him…"

"You've always been so selfless, Yuugi," Anzu said. "I didn't know how you felt for such a long time… but I guess I lost as soon as Atemu-san got his own body, right?"

It hurt somehow that even Anzu was using the more distant '-san' to refer to Atemu. Yuugi had always known she'd been crushing on his Other, while Yuugi himself was convinced he'd fallen in love with Anzu. Things had changed, that was for sure…

"I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say. Anzu reached over the table for his hand, and squeezed it gently.

"I didn't mean it in a self-deprecating way. I'm very happy for the both of you, really, Yuugi," Anzu said, showing a warm smile. She'd grown up, especially those years in the States when she didn't have her usual circle of friends. It had pained her, to leave them all behind in Domino, but it helped her to put things in a different perspective. However, there was still… some kind of regret. She couldn't help but wonder how her life would've turned out to be if she had really pursued, if she had pushed, insisted, had been more adamant… but Anzu knew that she had never stood much of a chance, not even from the start. Atemu was always looking at Yuugi, and at Yuugi only- the former Pharaoh's eyes were fixed on the most important person in his life, and nothing would steer him away from it. "Atemu-san loves you so much, and you love him. I don't think anyone could match how much love you feel for each other. I envy you."

Yuugi blushed deeper. "I didn't know love could feel this good," he said. "It feels good to belong to one another, and share our lives. I'm sure Warimi-kun will share the same love with you, Anzu."

Hitsumono Warimi was the heir to a large family-owned chain of supermarkets in and around Domino City. Anzu had met him in the States, where he studied to acquire his MBA. She had invited him to see one of her performances and he had gladly accepted, and in no time they had been a couple. Yuugi hadn't met him in person yet, but from what he had heard, he thought Warimi was a good choice: a hard working man who valued both business and family, was involved with several charities and his family came from an impeccable line of entrepreneurs as well as lawyers, doctors and local politicians. Hitsomono Anzu… that would take some time to get used to. _I thought it would be Mutou Anzu one day… _before he was aware of Atemu's presence, by then still the spirit of the Sennen Puzzle, Yuugi's crush on his best friend was serious enough to make him think of marriage.

"Yuugi?"

"Yes?" Yuugi blinked.

"You zoned out on me," Anzu smiled, but she looked at him, examining.

"I'm sorry," he apologized again.

"It's okay." Anzu squeezed his hand again before letting go. She had an inkling as to what Yuugi had been thinking of, but choose not to comment on it. It wasn't exactly a topic they felt comfortable talking about, and so she decided to return the topic of conversation back to the wedding.

"I would love for either Tzuziko-chan or Kazuo-kun to bring the rings," she said.

""I think Kazuo-kun is a little too young to be a ring-bearer, he still isn't walking," Yuugi said. He smiled. "I'm sure Tzuziko-chan will feel honored."

It was almost time to say goodbye again, but not before they discussed the wedding some more, especially the cake, the guests and the dress. They both agreed that it was going to be a wonderful day, and as they hugged each other goodbye, it was another firm and loving hug.

"Thank you, Yuugi," Anzu said. "It means a lot to me that you both will be there on my wedding day."

"We love you, Anzu," Yuugi said, meaning every word from the bottom of his heart. "We will always be there for you."

"Friends forever?"

"Friends forever!"

* * *

"Aibou, back from lunch already?" Atemu said, looking at him over the rim of his glasses. Yuugi couldn't help but chuckle. Atemu was teaching Kazuo the Ancient Egyptian alphabet just as he had Tzuziko. Even though the boy was too young to understand, Atemu was convinced that it would stick, and besides, according to the former Pharaoh, one could never start with education soon enough.

"Anzu's getting married!" Yuugi blurted out.

"Really?" Atemu pursed his lips a little and took off his reading glasses, much to Yuugi's dismay - he had never made it a secret that he liked Atemu wearing them. He juggled the toddler on his lap. "Who is the lucky man?"

"Hitsumono Warimi," Yuugi answered.

"The supermarket kid," Atemu said, sounding disappointed.

"Mou hitori no boku, don't call him that. His family owns the largest chain of supermarkets in Domino City, and Warimi-kun is planning to expanding to other regions. He's hardly a 'supermarket kid'. His family owns a lot of real estate too."

"Very well, aibou. Anzu chose him, after all. But mark my words: if he treats Anzu badly, or does something to her that I do not like, he will come to regret it before he can pronounce the name of his supermarket."

Yuugi wrapped his arms around Atemu. "I like it when you're being so stern and dominant." Kazuo was almost squished between them, and the toddler gave a loud yelp. Yuugi ruffled his black hair.

"Anzu asked if Tzuziko-chan could bring the rings."

"That is a wonderful idea! We have a lot of preparations to do, then. We have to find a suitable dress for Tzuziko, and something nice to wear for Kazuo, for us…"

"I'll help out, too," Yuugi said and kissed him on the temple. "It's going to be a really wonderful day!"

* * *

At the day of the wedding, the Mutou household was buzzing with activity. Yuugi could only imagine how busy and stressed Anzu and Warimi had to be on their special day. He needed at least two pair of hands to get the children dressed, to put on the corsages and to quickly call a taxi. With everyone running around and not exactly cooperating - Yuugi adjusted Tzuziko's tiara for the umpteenth time - he almost ran out of breath. He was grateful for at least one thing: it was going to be a very sunny day, lovely weather for a wedding. Anzu deserved it, and it made him very happy.

Kaiba had grudgingly given Yuugi permission to attend the wedding, conveniently ignoring that he had been invited too. After the ceremony, the couple would throw a large party for friends and family, Warimi's business associates and Anzu's wide social circle, which also included her friends from high school, even Kaiba.

"Atemu-san is upstairs, dear," Yusuke said while adjusting the large hat on her head, trying to pin it down. "Do remind me of thanking Anzu for inviting me, would you? It's so kind of her." Yuugi hugged her briefly.

"I will, kaa-san," he said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a very vain boyfriend to usher out of the bedroom. I don't know what's taking him so long."

He went up the stairs again, calling out for Atemu. "Mou hitori no boku, are you ready yet? We have to go…" Yuugi bustled into the bedroom and ended his sentence with a wolf whistle. Atemu had changed into a tuxedo, the same as Yuugi, only his bow tie and cummerbund were a crimson red, matching his eyes. "That looks so good on you! So very, very, very, very good…"

"Aibou, I know you love to rip clothes of my body, but I suggest you wait until after the wedding ceremony," the former Pharaoh deadpanned.

Yuugi came to stand behind Atemu and hugged him firmly. "Mmm…"

"The taxi should arrive soon," Atemu said, turning around. "I hate to break the fun."

"If I knew you would look like this in a tux, I would've bought you one much sooner," Yuugi almost drooled. Atemu tapped him on the nose, chuckling. Yusuke called them to hurry up.

Downstairs, Kazuo had managed to smear something greasy on his pants and Atemu clacked with his tongue in minor annoyance.

"Let me get it, Atemu-san," Yusuke said, smiling. "I know more about stains than you ever will, and you better get Tzuziko-chan before she wanders away."

"Wanders away? Where does she think she's going to?"

Atemu was quick to retrieve Tzuziko who was about to leave the house. The girl looked adorable in her dress, but the inevitable frown on her face marred her features.

"Yami papa, I don't like this," Tzuziko said. She fidgeted with the tiara on her head.

"You can do this, little lady," Atemu said while adjusting the tiara once again. "You only have to take the rings to Anzu and hand them to her. It means very much to her."

"I don't want to, Yami papa," she said stubbornly, tugging at the tiara again.

"Tzuziko, you are doing this for your aunt, who specifically asked us if _you_ would do it," Atemu said. "It is a task specially entrusted to you."

Finally, she relented to the idea that her aunt had specifically asked for her and she nodded firmly. With everyone present, Atemu ushered everyone out of the house to the waiting taxi, the driver about to use his claxon.

Anzu was a stunningly beautiful bride. Her grace and elegance radiated off of her, and the white kimono hugged her slender dancer's body. Warimi couldn't keep his eyes off of her, and he wasn't the only one - but he _was _the only one to call her his wife. The photographer tried to coax Tzukiko into a smile as soon as she brought the rings; he managed to get her to turn up the corners of her mouth a little, before she ran back to Yuugi and Atemu, hiding behind Yuugi's legs as she didn't like to be the center of attention. Kazuo wasn't fussing for a change, mostly because Yusuke held him.

After the official exchange of the vows and rings was over, everyone was gathered for the group picture. The newlyweds, flanked by their respective parents and siblings, stood in the middle of the group, and the photographer tried to gather everyone together for the best possible shot. Yuugi and Atemu stood fairly close to the family, with Tzuziko and Kazuo on their respective arms. Tzuziko was still and serious, looking at the camera, while Kazuo fidgeted just a little. He was happy to be in Yusuke's arms again after the picture was taken, and a couple of Warimi's nieces flocked around Yuugi to ask him all about his conspicuous hair. Atemu made short work of their curiosity by announcing that he wanted to congratulate the newlyweds.

Anzu and Warimi were very happy to accept their congratulations. "Yuugi-kun, Atemu-san," Warimi said, "thank you for coming."

Yuugi smiled his thousand watt smile, while Atemu simply nodded his head; a habit he had picked up after returning from the Memory World. It was a small Pharaohnic gesture that he acknowledged someone's presence, but wasn't paying full attention to him or her. Yuugi had told him that the gesture was belittling, condescending even, but Atemu hadn't stopped doing it. In the end, everybody had accepted it as a quirk, and though no one was ever offended, Yuugi didn't want Atemu to do it in public.

As Yuugi was congratulating Anzu, the bride leaned into him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you for everything, Yuugi," she said.

"Thank you," he answered. "You look beautiful…" There was a hint of…sadness to his voice. Anzu smiled wistfully. They had discussed this at their lunch a few days ago, but it was still difficult. This lingering fondness between them transcended friendship, but didn't cross the romantic line. Anzu was in love with Warimi, but she wouldn't, and couldn't deny the strong bond she had with Yuugi, after all they had been through. That particular feeling was mutual, and they both knew it. Their lives were interwoven, but not as romantic partners.

"I'm glad you're here," she said. Yuugi agreed; he wouldn't have wanted to miss the wedding for a thing. He tried to shake his melancholy, the sadness he felt. He was very happy with Atemu, the other half of his soul. Why had he felt bad, if only for a little moment?

"I'm very happy that Tzuziko-chan wanted to bring us the rings," she continued. "It was so cute." She knew how stubborn their daughter could be. Yuugi chuckled.

"She didn't really like the spotlight on her, though. We almost had to threaten her to do it!"

"Speaking of threats, what is Atemu-san doing to my husband?" The bride said amusedly as Warimi started to pale. She motioned him over and he came to stand next to her, taking her hand and pressing a quick kiss to it.

"You certainly have a very … protective circle of friends, my love," Warimi said, rather dryly.

"Mou hitori no boku," Yuugi said, shaking his head. "You didn't threat him with a batsu game, did you?"

Atemu looked at Yuugi with a perfectly neutral look on his face.

"Aibou, what are you accusing me of? We just had a heart-to-heart talk between adult men, pointing out the obligations and duties as a married couple and the consequences when failing to live up to such obligations and duties."

Anzu and Yuugi looked at each other, and simultaneously heaved a sigh.

"Batsu game," they both said and started laughing.

* * *

Now that all the official parts of the wedding were over, it was time for the party. Yuugi felt quite hungry, not having had anything to eat but a few crackers for breakfast. He stared at the buffet, trying to decide as to what to put on his plate - there was enough to feed a whole army's worth!

"I can recommend the _konbu_," a familiar, friendly, soft-spoken voice came behind him. Yuugi had no difficulties identifying the speaker, and turned around, beaming with joy and happiness.

"Bakura-kun!" He exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Yuugi-kun, good to see you," his friend answered. Bakura Ryou was the still the same, time and age not showing on his face.

Whereas Atemu had returned, the Spirit of the Ring had disappeared. No trace of the malevolent Bakura was there to be found, and Bakura Ryou himself faded into the background. It made Yuugi feel guilty how they had lost contact, hadn't stayed in touch while Bakura had gone through so much more. The Spirit of the Ring had abused him, caused great pain and destruction, and while Yuugi had been happy with Atemu, he had lost Bakura out of sight.

"You look well, Bakura-kun," Yuugi said. "How have you been?"

"I have finished my studies in parapsychology," he answered. "I also studied mythology, with a specialization in occult artifacts."

"You did two studies at once? Amazing, Bakura-kun!" He should've known about the other's interest in the occult. Yuugi couldn't help but shiver a little.

"My main interest was parapsychology," Bakura said, "but during my study I discovered that mythology still was appealing to me, especially the occult artifacts. It doesn't have to be all dark and ominous or paranormal, Yuugi-kun. Don't forget that 'occult' actually means 'knowledge of the hidden'. I like to search for hidden meanings, the secret behind an artifact, and well.. ah… my expertise has been called upon."

"Egypt?"

"Yes," Bakura flushed a little. "The Ishtar family invited me to come over…we're going to visit archaeological sites and look at the collected artifacts."

"And living together?" Yuugi prodded as he saw Bakura's blush.

"Yes, that too," Bakura said and blushed even harder.

"I'm sure you and Malik-kun are going to be very happy," Yuugi grinned.

Bakura returned the smile and a silence fell. It wasn't awkward, but Yuugi felt compelled to break it; he searched for the right words to say what he wanted to say.

"Bakura-kun, about…"

"I know, Yuugi-kun," he interrupted him immediately, but not angrily. Bakura wasn't the person to be rude. He turned towards the buffet, took two plates and slowly started putting on some of the delicious food. Yuugi didn't comment; he guessed correctly that Bakura needed some time to think about his own words. After a few minutes, Bakura handed a neatly arranged plate with sashimi to Yuugi, who accepted it immediately.

"I'm glad he's gone," Bakura picked up his own plate and stared at the seafood he had served himself. "He made my life very difficult. My friends… I was constantly afraid that he would do something to you. More than he already had."

"It's not really about him, Bakura-kun," Yuugi shook his head. "We fell out of touch so quickly, and I didn't do enough to maintain our friendship. I'm really sorry…"

"Always quick to take the blame upon yourself, Yuugi-kun." Bakura showed his trademark soft, polite smile. "Friendship goes two ways. Don't you think _I_ could've done my best to stay in touch as well? I didn't want to ignore you either, Yuugi-kun. But right after our return from Egypt.. it was too painful. You returned with Atemu-san, and there was no one left to go with me…"

"Exactly, Bakura-kun," Yuugi said. "That's why I should've been more attentive, involving you with the rest of the group…"

"I know." Bakura's expression didn't change. "But don't put all the blame upon yourself. I needed time to compose myself, re-invent myself, so to say. I was alone, but a different kind of alone. I spent all my time thinking about what _I _wanted, Bakura Ryou, not a Spirit, not my father, not anyone else."

"That must've been such a lonely time, Bakura-kun…"

"I didn't experience it as such," he almost shrugged. "It was what I needed at that moment. Time to reflect, a little solitude to discover my own self, my own being. Don't feel bad about it, Yuugi-kun. Just as I needed those moments to myself, now it's the moment to get out and meet new people, and strengthen the bonds I already have with my friends. I never regarded you as any less."

"I've always regarded you as a friend too, Bakura-kun," Yuugi said, relieved the other harbored no feelings of resentment. He was extremely glad to learn that Bakura still saw him as a friend, a feeling he was quick to return. Yuugi took a sashimi from his plate and took a bite.

"I think I saw Atemu-san running after your son," Bakura laughed, changing the topic. "I must say, he must have quite the stamina for running around after two kids, a store and you!"

Yuugi blushed and almost choked on his sashimi. Bakura chuckled and his face lit up as the others of his circle of friends joined them for the buffet: Jounouchi, his sister Shizuka, Otogi and Honda. They greeted him enthusiastically, immediately asking about his endeavors. Jounouchi ogled the buffet, grabbed a plate and started piling up the food.

"Well, who would've thought that Anzu'd be the first to tie the knot, huh?" he said.

It got him an angry glare and an elbow to the stomach from his sister. "What? Whaa-aat?"

Yuugi mustered up a watery smile. He had been the first of them all to wear a ring of his significant other… a ring that was slipped on his finger barely two weeks after they got together. It had taken Atemu a few days to find a suitable ring, and to beg the money off of grandfather to buy it. He was broke for the next three months as he had spend the advance on his allowance on the ring: a plain golden one, with a ruby and an amethyst entangled with a little twist on top, and both their names engraved. It wasn't as fancy as Anzu's brilliant white-golden ring with diamonds in a platinum setting, but it was Yuugi's most important and beautiful possession. It was their friendship ring, their wedding ring, their-everything-ring as they would never get officially married; same sex marriages weren't condoned in Japan, and Atemu didn't even exist for the authorities.

Jounouchi seemed to have understood the hint, as he scratched the back of his head a little sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, Yuugi…"

"It's okay," Yuugi assured him. "We should really throw a party ourselves, actually. After all, counting from the day that I solved the Puzzle when I was fifteen and having celebrated my 25th birthday recently, we're at our first anniversary together!"

"Ten years," Shizuka swooned, "ten years together with your true love." She elbowed Honda this time, who had been paying exclusive attention to his plate. He and Otogi had fought quite a while for Shizuka's affection, with Honda emerging as the winner. Otogi took his loss pretty hard and buried himself with his work, expanding his Black Crown stores to a national chain. He even went to the United States to see if there were any possibilities for international expansion, and when Otogi returned, he picked up his friendship with both Shizuka and Honda where they had left off, despite them being a couple.

"It's good to see everyone together," Yuugi smiled.

"To more weddings," Jounouchi lifted up his glass for a toast, "and to lots more buffets!"

"To more weddings!" Shizuka repeated and glared at Honda. He was the one to blush furiously, and everyone started teasing him about an appropriate wedding date.

* * *

Yuugi went to look for Atemu. He was tired and wanted to go home. The party was at its end anyway; most of the guests had left, the mutual families had retired for the night and everyone of the old gang of friends had left as well, except for Jounouchi, still at the buffet.

He found Atemu on the couch in a wardrobe room. Kazuo was asleep on his arm, head on his shoulder, and a soft snoring Tzuziko had tucked herself into his other arm, hand clinging to his tuxedo. He appeared to be asleep; Yuugi was torn between waking him up or just letting him be. He made a good picture; the former Pharaoh made a good father. It made Yuugi think of his own father, who hadn't even taken the time to give him a call after the Battle City tournament. He didn't even call when Yuugi messaged him about Atemu. What kind of father didn't even react when his son had found his partner, the love of his life?

Yuugi kept staring at the serene picture in front of him. How much, or how little, was he adding to the family? Was he only the one bringing in the paycheck to put food on the table and pay the mortgage, or did he bring in enough love for the entire family? Was he slowly turning into his father, nothing but work, work, work?

"You know, I can hear you thinking," Atemu said, voice sleepy.

"It's time to go home," Yuugi answered and winced from his own harsh tone. Atemu nodded and tried to get up, which was almost impossible with the kids clinging to him.

"Sleepy, Yami Papa," Tzuziko said while Kazuo was so deep asleep that none of the movements woke him up.

"I know, little lady," he said, "but it is time to go home." He handed her over to Yuugi to carry her outside, holding onto Kazuo himself. Yusuke, Yuugi's mother, had left the party earlier and so they had a taxi to themselves.

Yuugi was unusually quiet on their way home. He stared out of the window, as Atemu had his hands full, literally, with the sleeping Kazuo leaning against him, and Tzuziko wedged between them. He was also silent, but Yuugi figured he was fatigued, not upset or anything else.

"What did you think of the wedding?" It took Yuugi a moment to realize that Atemu was talking to him.

"It was wonderful. Really gorgeous."

Atemu never mentioned marriage, but Yuugi was sure he already had looked into the possibilities. It would be neat to get married; but even if same sex marriages would be legalized, Atemu still wasn't an official citizen. Yuugi heaved a sigh. Ten years together, and not a single thing to prove for it but their rings. That was more than enough, Yuugi decided. Their bond was stronger than any paper with their names on it. The rings weren't 'just' showing their bond, they were showing that they belonged together, for now and for always, above and beyond time, above and beyond any feeling that people could have for each other: the love of the other half of your soul.

"I wish we could get married like that."

"Me too," Yuugi said and blinked violently. He was _not_ going to cry at this late hour on the way home. He wasn't really sure if he was emotional because of the wedding or the thoughts about his father, or a combination of both. He wished the taxi driver would speed up, and he heaved another audible sigh of relief when the car parked in front of the Game Shop. Now all that was left to do was to get the kids tucked in, and with the both of them already asleep, it didn't take longer than a few minutes.

Yuugi was brushing his teeth as he looked at himself in the mirror. He wondered where the sadness and anger on his face came from. It had to be fatigue, he told himself. Besides, everyone could be cranky for once, right? It had been a wonderful day, but also tiring. A good night of sleep was all that he needed. Yuugi buttoned his pajama top close and rolled into bed. Atemu was moving around, picking up the crumpled heap of clothing Yuugi had left on the floor, smoothing out the wrinkles in his tuxedo.

"Come to bed, mou hitori no boku," Yuugi said.

"In a minute, aibou," he answered.

"Now, please?"

Atemu stood still for a moment and then nodded. Yuugi reached for him, grateful that the other only needed one word. The mattress shifted under his weight and before Atemu could drape his arms around Yuugi as he usually did, Yuugi flung himself into his arms. Atemu started stroking his hair gently and nuzzled him.

"Aibou, what is bothering you?"

"It's already late, mou hitori no boku."

"Please tell me, aibou. You looked so sad on our way home."

"I… I was thinking of my father. How he was never there. How he's still not here."

"He has his obligations, aibou. Unfortunately, those obligations keep him away from his family."

"I don't buy that anymore," Yuugi all but growled. He pressed himself closer, wishing he could soak in Atemu's strength. "He's always away. Why doesn't he take some time off? To get to know his son, to get to know his son-in-law? To get to know his wife, for crying out loud?"

"It is extremely rough on your mother, that is for sure," Atemu admitted.

"I never want to become like him," Yuugi muttered.

"Aibou, is it all because of the wedding that you are plagued with these thoughts? I…"

"I don't want to talk about it. Not now. I'm sleepy." Yuugi pressed a kiss on Atemu's cheek. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, aibou."

That was all he needed to hear right now. Yuugi put his head down, on Atemu's chest, so he could hear his heartbeat. It was comforting and he smiled. Ten years together, and every day he loved him more. For the rest of his life, he would love him and only him, and not a day would go by that his love wouldn't increase. Yuugi fell asleep before he knew it.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: A sorta Fairytale, pt. 4 - "things you said that day up on the 101"  
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!  
Characters: Yami no Yuugi/Atemu & Mutou Yuugi  
Prompt: # 97, Artist's Choice  
Word Count: 8.978  
Rating: G  
Summary: Settled into their lives, Yuugi and Atemu deal with to dilemma of how to make their family complete and how to keep their own relationship healthy.

Author's Notes: End of series 'fix-it'. Shounen ai. Made up name for Yuugi's mother: "Yusuke". Some Yuugi angst. Characters are around 28 of age.

* * *

The alarm clock was merciless. Yuugi groaned as he slammed the button, killing the shrill beeping noise. Yawning and stretching, he kicked the covers away and rolled out of bed. Time for a morning shower! He grabbed a towel from the stack on the dresser and dumped his pajama top on the floor.

As usual, Atemu had gotten up much earlier, keeping a tight schedule with the kids' morning routine. Yuugi wasn't a morning person and he was glad he didn't have to deal with spilled orange juice, boogers and lost shoes, books and bentos in the early morning.

Careful as to avoid tripping, Yuugi made his way over to the door and the stairs. There was a lot of construction material on the floor. With a little bit of luck, the work would be ready the next month. He couldn't wait until their own bathroom was finished! It had been a major point of discussion, but the pros definitely outweighed the cons. Yuugi's attic room had to be remodeled to make space for the new bathroom, but he was happy to do so, as it meant he didn't have to trot down the stairs every morning and waiting until either Atemu, his mother or one of the kids had finally finished.

Atemu had suggested that while the attic was being reconstructed, they might as well imply some other changes? Yuugi hadn't gotten the hint, until he realised Atemu meant to adjust the layout of the house to create a room for a third child. The former Pharaoh had brushed the topic quite a few times, but he didn't push. Yuugi had voiced his doubts. Their family felt complete to him, with a beautiful smart daughter and a headstrong, stubborn son - sometimes too stubborn for his own good - and the desire for a third child hadn't crossed Yuugi's mind. He had asked for time to think about it when Atemu had brought up the subject, and the former Pharaoh respected his wishes.

Yuugi passed Kazuo's bedroom. It used to be his grandfather's, and often Yuugi would still be overwhelmed with sadness when he walked past it. Today wasn't an exception. It had been more than eight years, but Mutou Sugoroku had meant the world to Yuugi, especially without his father around to support him. Yuugi could see the great mess inside the room, the bedlinens in a crumpled heap as if an animal had ravaged it, the wallpaper covered with huge globs of paint and torn at the corners, the clothes and toys strewn all over the floor and the inevitable damaged objects: this time it was a picture book, completely torn out of its hoped it wasn't Tzukiko's or Atemu's, otherwise his son was in major trouble.

Kazuo's behavior was pretty erratic, probably stemming from his mother being addicted to heroin when he was wasn't really sure. Atemu had great patience with the boy, unfortunately he was the least appreciated person by Kazuo. The child only seemed to calm down when Yusuke, Yuugi's mother, was around. Yuugi hoped that Kazuo would grow out of his extreme moodswings and learn to accept both his fathers; in the meantime, they had to deal with his behavior and give him as much love and attention as they could.

Tzuziko's bedroom, the former guestroom, was right next to it and, not surprisingly, a total contrast to Kazuo's. Whereas Kazuo enjoyed chaos, Tzukiko's room was the epitome of meticuluous neatness. Every object had its place and she could get extremely upset when someone moved something, intentionally or not. The Hello Kitty dollhouse was gathering dust; Yuugi had to admit defeat to that particular birthday present. Atemu's gift of the Encyclopaedia Brittanica was on Tzuziko's desk, the books already showing wear and tear from its intensive use. Tzuziko had been nagging about a laptop since she was five and still blamed Yuugi for not allowing her to skip a class. Yuugi heaved a soft sigh, yet a fond smile curled around his lips. He wouldn't want to miss the kids for a thing. They were two individuals, strong individuals with their own place in this world; and he was proud to call himself their father.

He hurried downstairs to shower and get dressed, it was a regular workday and he had to rush, otherwise he wouldn't be at the office in time. After all his grooming, Yuugi emerged in the kitchen, hungry for breakfast.

"Good morning, Yuugi-kun," Yusuke said. His mother was quite cheerful in the morning.

"Dun wanna go to work," Yuugi greeted her. She chuckled and poured him some orange juice.

"I really wish you could take some time off, dear."

"If only,"Yuugi groaned. Over the years, Pegasus had been withdrawing gradually from the gaming business and so Yuugi found himself working more and more projects for KaibaCorp. than his original job at Industrial Illusions. The two companies often joined forces, rather becoming collaborators than competitioners: Kaiba delivering the technology, Pegasus the artistry. Yuugi would never say out loud that he sort of missed having the flamboyant American around. When Pegasus was at his office, he would throw Funny Bunny plushies at his employees and tell them to have a good time, in Yuugi's case with 'Pharaoh-boi', even though he never mentioned _that _to Atemu's face. Pegasus was growing more interested in selling his artwork than the actual management of his business, leaving I2 in the hands of the boring board of directors.

The projects for KaibaCorp. were interesting, challenging and _huge_. Kaiba had planned a gaming convention and the teams were working months in advance to get every presentation, design and new technology in perfect condition. Yuugi had to work hard, but he enjoyed every minute of it. However, Kaiba had all but revoked everyone's holiday to work on the important convention. Taking time off now was nearly impossible. Yuugi made a face. He would love to goon holiday, to actually visit another country. Atemu would love to see Egypt without getting involved in Ceremonial Duels. Ever since Yuugi had caught up with Bakura on Anzu's wedding, their friendship had rekindled. Bakura had send e-mails and pictures from the archaeological site he was working at and Yuugi had caught Atemu looking longingly at the pictures; it was his homeland, deeply rooted in his soul. Someday they would be able to visit the pyramids and the temples, Yuugi was sure about that.

He sipped his orange juice and grumbled some more.

"Go see Atemu-san before he's busy with the kids," Yusuke suggested as she put a plate with food in front of him.

"Food first," Yuugi said even though he had to hurry. Mornings were far too short for kissing his lover, paying attention to his kids, eating breakfast and hugging his mother before he had to leave for work. He shoveled the food inside, ignoring his mother's stern look and downed the rest of his orange juice. Another reason why he was looking so much forward to his holiday: he'd finally be able to take his sweet time at breakfast!

* * *

Atemu was upstairs in their bedroom, having dressed himself, just finishing with his earrings.

"Good morning, mou hitori no boku," Yuugi said.

"Good morning, aibou," Atemu replied. "Are you ready for another day of work?"

"I want some time off but Kaiba-kun won't let me," Yuugi whined.

"I know, aibou," Atemu ruffled his hair. "Hold on for a little while more. As soon as that convention is over, you can take some time off and I promise we will do something fun, all right?"

"We never do fun stuff anymore," Yuugi pouted. "When was the last time we ever played a boardgame of Duel Monsters?"

"As soon as the kids are grown up I will play with you, aibou," Atemu said and smacked Yuugi's ass. "Now if you will excuse me, I have two kids to get ready."

"They're my kids too," Yuugi protested, rubbing his lower backside.

"Of course they are," Atemu said. "But you have to be at your office within fifteen minutes or else your boss will have your head."

"Kaiba-kun should have kids of his own," Yuugi muttered. "Then he would empathize more with us parents."

"I would pity his kids," Atemu deadpanned.

* * *

Yuugi yawned as he climbed into bed and pulled the covers around him. What a day; it was really a miracle that he hadn't gone completely deaf from Kaiba's yelling. No matter how many games the teams designed, no matter what brilliant ideas they came up with - it was never, ever enough for Kaiba. Yuugi wanted nothing but a good night of sleep, preferably erasing Kaiba's loud words from his mind. It was already past eleven, and he yawned some more.

He closed his eyes, hoarding the blankets and the pillows, knowing that there was still plenty left for Atemu. The former Pharaoh often was cold during the night so they made sure blankets were abundant on the bed. A smile tugged at Yuugi's lips when he felt the familiar weight on the mattress. The weight shifted and with an audible click, the light on the nightstand was turned off.

"Night, mou hitori no boku…" Yuugi mumbled, waiting for the other to put his arms around him. It was the first thing they had done when spending the night together; wrapping arms around each other in a loving embrace, and Yuugi could barely fall asleep without it. His smile widened went he felt Atemu leaning into him, arms shifting around him and… a warm hand trailing over his chest, as if ironing out the folds in his pajama top.

"Mou hitori no boku.."

His fingers went over the buttons, thumb flicking open the top one. Lips touched his neck, pressing a kiss to his skin. For some reason they long had forgotten, they only wore one pair of pajamas together - Yuugi the top and Atemu the bottom, and mostly a few sizes too big.

Yuugi kept his eyes closed, focusing on the touches and caresses, very familiar sensations starting to rise.

"Mmmm… mou hitori no boku…"

"Yes, aibou?"

Atemu shifted over him, kissing him passionately. Yuugi arched his back, faintly noticing that the rest of the buttons were opened, fingers on his bare chest now, and he gasped.

Gods, these sensations… so good, so pleasant… he barely noticed the soft gasp in his throat, asking for more…and the pajama top was gone. Cool air brushed over his chest, and he shivered. Not for long, as Atemu's warm hands, his long slender fingers, caressed his skin, traipsing over sensitive spots, and not long after his lips nibbled on his neck again, exactly that spot that made him weak.

"Aibou," Atemu said and Yuugi heard something behind the other's words, some kind of… longing that was different than usual.

"Mou hitori no boku, something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong. I just want…"

Yuugi tilted his head, leaning back lazily. He loved being the center of attention like this, to feel the warmth and the intimacy, and his own hand reached for Atemu, to return the love he was recieving.

"I want another baby," Atemu suddenly said and before Yuugi could answer, his lips were covered by Atemu's for a searing kiss. Yuugi could barely breathe, forgetting that he could breathe through his nose, and was forced back into the pillows due to the ferocity of the kiss.

"Mou.. mou hitori…" he started.

"Hmmmm…"

"I'm not really sure…"

Atemu leaned into him, pressing kisses all over his chest. He hadn't bothered to put on the pajama pants, and the moonlight shone into the room through the ceiling window, ethereally illuminating him.

"Mmmm… aibou…"

Yuugi arched his back a little, trying to resist. This was a serious discussion, after all.

"Mou hitori no boku, this is…unnn… low…"

"And I am going much, much lower," Atemu smirked against his skin, flicking out his tongue and drawing circles around his navel. His hand slowly darted lower, reaching for him, gently stroking him. Even after all the times they had been together, his touch made Yuugi shiver and sear with pleasure. All thoughts of their previous discussion went out the window as he reveled in the touches, the caresses, the strokes, the licks. He couldn't resist - why should he? All he could do was to turn into a puddle of blissful goo, and his breathing turned erratic as Atemu continued to stroke him.

* * *

Afterwards, as Atemu was lying down, having Yuugi pulled on top of him, he gently caressed his lover's hair, brushing a few damp bangs out of his face. Yuugi smiled, lazily. His body was glowing, and he should get out of bed to grab a towel and clean the both of them up - but not right now, he was too much in a state of bliss to think rational thoughts. The former Pharaoh moved his arms into a protective embrace, kissing the tip of his nose. He hadn't forgotten about the discussion.

"I am not asking this for myself, aibou. It is for our whole family," he said.

"What do you mean?" Yuugi looked at Atemu in the soft moonlight. All those years they never bothered to put a screen in front of the ceiling window; Yuugi didn't know any better than to leave it uncovered all the time. Once, Insector Haga and Dinosaur Ryuzaki had crashed the window to steal the God Cards, which Yuugi had left in their box in a bag on his desk. He doubted a simple screen would keep burglars out, and besides, any burglar would probably be scared away when seeing the two of them naked.

"I think that with three children, our family is complete," Atemu said. "I cannot give you a solid reason, aibou. I just feel this way."

"You never ask anything for yourself," Yuugi said, pensively. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Things have settled down at the antiquary. Tzuziko is fairly independent. Kazuo…is still a handful, but things get better."

Yuugi bit his lip. He was still thinking as he nuzzled Atemu's neck. He smelled of desert sand, of the sun, of exotic spices and burning heat. It was a scent Yuugi could never get enough of.

"Just give me some time to think about it, all right?"

He had asked for time before, and Yuugi could almost feel Atemu's disappointment. He could see none of it on the other's face, but Yuugi knew better. They were two halves of the same soul; even if something remained unspoken, they just simply knew. He brought up his hand to cup Atemu's face.

"I'm not saying 'no', mou hitori no boku," he said. "Just…give me some more time."

"I know," Atemu whispered in return. He leaned into Yuugi again to kiss him, and there was nothing different about his kiss, it was just as passionate and fierce as ever. Yuugi gladly surrendered to it and returned the kiss just as passionate.

* * *

"Mutou-san, you look like a ghost," Fukata Sasuke said when she saw Yuugi at the office. His secretary was never indiscrete, and her comment on his appearance meant exactly that; he was really looking like a ghost. "Did the kids keep you up at night?"

"No, mou hitori no boku did…" he said in return.

She gave him a quizzical look. "Mutou-san?"

"Oh, I mean, someone else did…!" Yuugi blushed. He talked a lot about his family at the office, and people knew that he lived with another man. Some colleagues expressed being uncomfortable with that thought, and Yuugi made sure to not mention his home situation when dealing with them. He was fairly discreet, not flaunting, and wanted to keep things professional and friendly. Those who were interested and not bothered by it, shared the stories of his home and family life. At the office, he referred to Atemu as 'Atemu-san' like everyone else did, but every now and then he slipped up.

Yuugi made a non-committal sound which she interpreted as him wanting his agenda. She immediately gave him a print of his scheduled appointments and added: "Mutou-san, don't forget your lunch with Jounouchi-san and Hiroto-san."

"Thank you Fukata-san," Yuugi said and smiled before entering his office. "I certainly won't forget it."

How could he? Having lunch with Honda and Jounouchi was a great way to see his friends and keep up with them. Everyone was so busy and even though the traditional weekly lunches had been sacrificed due to complex work schedules, they made sure to meet up in person at least once a month; in the meantime, e-mail and text messages and other social networks were used to keep in touch. Of course, whenever she could make it, Anzu was also part of the lunch tradition.

She had called recently to tell the good news that she was expecting her first child. Anzu had been dancing at top level, and balked at the thought that at 28, she was already getting too old for professional dancing. "I didn't want to give up dancing, not for a long time," she said. "But it's physically very demanding, and I've been at the top for over six years. I was hoping to make it at least ten, but my knees are acting up, and now with a baby on the way…"

She wasn't going to stay at home, but opted to decide what to do after the baby was born. Her husband Warimi supported her in everything she wanted to do and Anzu knew she had multiple career choices. He was the head of a large, national chain of supermarkets and together with Anzu, quite the society couple. The Hitsumonos were well-loved guests at society venues, endorsing several charity purposes and they often made headlines, if only for the glamour and glitter surrounding them. Anzu assured her friends that she was still the same Anzu, and they knew she hadn't changed; but it was still bad that she couldn't make it to this particular lunch. Yuugi made a mental note to ask the other guys what kind of gifts would be appropriate, maybe they could buy something nice for the baby.

* * *

Fujikawa's was extremely busy as it had featured as a 'hot spot' in a restaurant guide not long ago. However, the staff had known Yuugi and his friends for so long, that they always prioritized their booking for a table. Yuugi was happy to meet Jounouchi and Honda again, always glad to meet up with his friends. Jounouchi had set up his own shop, building up and maintaining a good reputation restoring classic cars. He was talking about joint-ventures with Honda, who had a stable income with his motorcycle shop, but not enough to sponsor his Hiroto race team. He wanted to participate in a Grand Prix himself whenever possible.

They talked about work and stuff, and the topic inevitably came to Anzu's baby. Jounouchi had his mouth stuffed, but he declared between two large bites that he adored babies, as long as they weren't his own or his sister's. He looked at Honda menacingly, who choked on his food. Honda quickly denied wanting to have babies, especially with his store and racing career going so well. Shizuka was still in school for crying out loud, studying to become a beautician. She wanted to take the study for veterinarian first, but discovered it was too difficult for her. Jounouchi didn't like the thought of becoming an uncle, even though in secret, should a baby ever arrive, he rather liked it to be Honda's than anyone else's. He trusted Honda, and if Shizuka loved him, there had to be some quality trait about him, right?

"Mou hitori no boku wants another baby," Yuugi blurted out as soon as both his friends had their mouths full.

Jounouchi choked on his oden. "Sheesh, Yuugi! Couldn't you have waited for another second?"

Honda's eyes widened. "He wants another baby? What's he trying to do, set up his own army?"

"Honda-kun, Jounouchi-kun, that's not his plan," Yuugi said, though he had to laugh. "Mou hitori no boku thinks that with three children our family is complete. He's a good father and he takes great care of them."

Jounouchi looked impatient. "Nobody doubts that, Yuugi. But three is even more of a handful."

Yuugi poked at his food. "Mou hitori no boku never asks something for himself," he said softly. "Sometimes I think he focuses on me and the children too much, and forgets about himself. But like I said, he never asks… he doesn't even buy things for himself, be it for some clothing or jewelry, and he never complains."

"Might be, but it'll be your third kid. Can you deal with that, also financially? I mean… your daughter doesn't give you too much trouble, but when I hear you talk about your son, sometimes…"

"He might not ask for anything for himself, but he's asking a lot of _you_ right now," Honda added. He sipped his drink. "Don't forget, Yuugi, a third child is a drain on your wallet and your freedom."

"I chose to have a family," Yuugi protested. "I don't care if it costs money or freedom. We wanted children, a family! We're ready to make any sacrifice for it."

"I dunno," Jounouchi said. "It seems just so much for one guy to handle, three children."

"Hey, I'm there too! I'm not like you, who'd leave his girlfriend of the week to do all the work!"

"Hey! That's not true!"

"I'd say, let the subject rest for a while. Maybe he forgets about it," Honda said. He waved with his chopsticks.

"No, he won't," Yuugi said. "And I don't want him to. This is too much of an issue to just be forgotten."

"Are you opposed to it?"

"No, absolutely not! When we talked about children… well, it was pretty obvious from the beginning that we wanted to adopt, and we never assumed we would stop at one."

"It might be because Anzu's going to have a kid," Jounouchi piped up. "You know, when women are together and one is pregnant, the other one gets urges too?"

"Jounouchi-kun, I sincerely hope you're not comparing my boyfriend to a woman…"

"Well, he is a stay-at-home-Pharaoh, so why not?"

Honda was now the one to choke on his food. "Don't let him hear it! Do you want to get challenged to a batsu game?"

* * *

"Mou hitori no boku?"

"Yes, I am right over here," Atemu said, as usual carrying around some paperwork. He was wearing his reading glasses and Yuugi had to suppress a leering grin. He never told Atemu how sexy he looked with glasses, secretely enjoying Atemu's slightly confused look whenever he leered at him.

"I think we should continue with the adoption," Yuugi said.

"Really?" The former Pharaoh smiled. "That is wonderful news, aibou." He pursed his lips, however. "Are you really sure?"

"Yes I am," Yuugi said. "If you feel our family is complete with a third child, then…"

"And what do _you_ feel?" Atemu interrupted him. "I do not wish to go through with this if one of us has doubts. That would not be fair- not to ourselves, and not to the child."

"I know." Yuugi closed the distance between them and opened his arms for a hug. As usual, Atemu was quick to answer to the gesture. "I'm always honest, mou hitori no boku, and my doubts are gone. I really want us to be complete."

"I would never accuse you of lying, my love," Atemu said, his hand petting Yuugi's hair, his fingers gently curling the strands. "I wish you to be honest to yourself."

"I know." Yuugi could hold this position for hours, just to feel Atemu so close to him, in an embrace, gently cuddling. "I'm sorry it took me so long, mou hitori no boku."

"You asked for time," Atemu said. "I rather give you enough time to think about it, than force you to make a rash decision."

"Hm-m," Yuugi said, closing his eyes as he reveled in the attention. Atemu continued petting him, his fingers tracing Yuugi's earlobe.

"Then, with your permission, I will fill out the paperwork," he said.

"Ugh, the paperwork," Yuugi said, frowning his face. "I really hate that. It's so… inhuman."

"But we are going to offer another child a good chance at life, aibou. I will be glad to go through it once more to make our family complete."

"I know." Yuugi heaved a sigh. It was Atemu who went through the entire procedure, not him. Yuugi knew about the stress and the strain that came with an adoption. It was such a great sacrifice, and his lover was prepared to go through all of that again. To make _our _family complete… yes, a family, that was what he had always dreamed of.

"You are tired," Atemu said.

"So are you, mou hitori no boku. Busy at the store? Kids being difficult?"

"Nothing more than usual, aibou." Atemu pressed a kiss to Yuugi's forehead. "I can handle it."

"You're so strong," Yuugi said, in awe.

"Not as much as you are. Now, go to bed young man, before I send your mother after you."

"Meanie!"

* * *

Yuugi was lying in Atemu's arms, his body almost overheated. They certainly had celebrated their recent decision wonderfully and exubarently, these last few days. He had to grin. During the week, sex often was as a low priority, but this week had been very, very satisfying. He loved the soft snuggling after they finished, the tender carresses of Atemu through his hair and his shoulder, touching his skin. This was such a wonderful moment, and he was still all tingly from their wonderful love making. Yuugi wasn't really feeling as wonderful as he used to, though.

"What are you thinking, aibou?"

"I'm just worying all of the sudden," Yuugi said.

"About what?"

"It is very busy at work and we have so many deadlines to meet. Kaiba-kun is yelling his head off every day and my secretary is about to either quit or kill herself."

"That is unsettling, aibou. I know that you have many deadlines... maybe another position would be less stressful?"

Atemu was hesitant to suggest it, as he knew how much Yuugi loved his work. Ever since KaibaCorp. was dominating the games market as well as the virtual reality and 3D holographic technology market, the stress had only increased.

"You're so sweet," Yuugi said. He turned his head towards him, searching out his lover's fascinating, hypnotic red eyes. Even in the dark they seemed to be glittering with a hint of red. "But no, this is exactly the job I've always wanted. I love my work. I just don't love the pressure that comes with it."

"Do you think we should cancel the procedure?" Atemu didn't sound disappointed or anxious. Yuugi bit his lip. He had no doubt as to what Atemu was talking about. "If you feel all this stress is too much, than maybe it is for the better if we hold it off." He leaned a little into Yuugi and nuzzled his neck.

"What did I do to deserve you?"

"What do you mean?" Atemu sounded confused.

"You're so wonderful. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You would marry a woman."

"That's not funny, mou hitori no boku."

"I am sorry, aibou." Another kiss.

"I don't want you to hold off the adoption. It's not fair."

"It is not about being 'fair', aibou. If one of us is not feeling comfortable with it, then the procedure is off. A child is something different than a box of cereal. You can return a cereal to a supermarket, you cannot give a child back and say "It did not work out"."

"I know, mou hitori no boku, but you want it so bad…"

"That is true, but this decision demands both partners to completely agree," Atemu said sternly. "If one of us has the smallest doubt, it is off, remember?"

"On the other hand, we don't want the age gap to be too large. Tzuziko-chan is already eight, and Kazuo-kun five," Yuugi thought out loud.

"Age is not a factor. It happens to many families that there is a baby long after the first children have grown up."

"You know what I mean."

"Aibou…"

"I want you to go through with it, mou hitori no boku."

"Are you sure, aibou?" Now he could detect some anxiety in Atemu's voice. He couldn't deny his Pharaoh anything, could he? Atemu was convinced that with three kids their family was complete. Yuugi might not be so thoroughly convinced, but still… they could both handle it, couldn't they?

"Yes I am sure," Yuugi said, surpised at his own strong and convinced voice. He didn't imagine that the hug he received was tighter and intense than usual. He just wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing.

* * *

As work and daily life continued, Yuugi's slight unease evened out. He was getting more and more excited, agreeing that yes, a third child would make their family complete. His mother reacted with the same enthusiasm as with the other children; she hugged both Yuugi and Atemu and started on her interior decoration plans; she had chosen the furniture for the bedrooms before and Yuugi trusted his mother's good taste. As for the two children already in the house, Tzuziko and Kazuo, well, they both reacted differently.

Before Tzuziko was adopted, Atemu had said that he wanted to be forward and honest about the whole procedure. No lying, sugarcoating or hiding the truth from their children. The kids had a right to know, no matter how difficult it was. "We give them all the love and care we can give," Atemu ahd said, "and to us, we are their parents… and I hope we are their parents in their eyes, too." When telling Tzuziko, the smart girl had already understood that men weren't able to reproduce and even though she had been very silent after the explanation, she had accepted it as a fact. Kazuo, still too young to fully understand, had shrugged and then rolled over the carpet as if he was a dog.

With the news of a brother or sister along the way, Tzuziko was joyous, but not overly excited. Yuugi figured that she was going to 're-evaluate' her position in the family, as she was a worriwart about those kind of things, instead of playing with dolls or fawning over a J-rock star. She was far too intelligent for her own good… and Kazuo had started screaming 'Nonononono!' and had only quieted down after Yuugi's mother had taken him in his arms and gently shushed him.

Yuugi thought that there would be plenty of time left to all get used to the upcoming… ah… expansion, so it was quite a shock when a letter from the adoption agency, Oshimuru, arrived with information about their daughter, already stating a date when she could be transferred into the Mutou's care - Yuugi really hated how the agency expressed itself, but well, he wasn't going to throw a fit over it - and it was much, much sooner than they had expected. And to Yuugi's discomfort, it coincided exactly with the Very Important Gaming Convention. He wanted to be with Atemu to see the first moments of their daughter, he wanted to be with Atemu together to take her home with them.

That left him with the daunting task to ask for some time off, and that was why he was in Kaiba's office, having worked his way past an impressive line-up of stern secretaries.

"Another one? You can't get paternity leave now!" Kaiba hissed as he looked over his laptop at Yuugi.

"Kaiba-kun," Yuugi said, exasperated. "This is for the benefit of your employee, who will be much happier at work when his situation at home is taken care of."

"I'm not responsible for your situation at home," Kaiba snapped. "It's not my problem that you want to adopt every baby in the country. No, Mutou. We need you at the convention, you just can't sign off for a few weeks just to settle your youngest sprog in."

"Don't refer to a child like that," Yuugi replied heatedly. "You have no right to deny my request. It's a standard clause in the KaibaCorp. employment contract that an employee has a right to paternity leave, even in case of adoption…"

"I don't care if you want to adopt a hundred babies," Kaiba said. "You just can't do it _now_! We've been working towards that convention for ages, and it's simply not done if my head designer and developer, that's you, won't be attending the press conferences and convention in itself just because he's got the baby rabies!"

Yuugi's mouth went slack. "You can't deny me my paternity leave!"

"You're not deaf, are you?" Kaiba didn't even look at Yuugi anymore, but at the screen of his laptop. "You can leave the entire hullabaluba at home for a few days of convention, or is all the work too much for your precious Pharaoh?"

"I pity you, Kaiba-kun," Yuugi said, steaming with rage. "For all the loneliness and sadness that you must feel by attacking other people who _do _have a family life." It didn't get much of a reaction out of Kaiba, only a raised eyebrow. "This is important to me. I haven't taken one day of sick leave, I've always been there for presentations and shows, and I've always worked extra hard to meet your impossible, unreal, inhuman deadlines!"

"Hey, what's the problem?" A third voice suddenly rang out in the office. Even Kaiba was startled, not having noticed that someone had entered the room. Aside from Kaiba himself, there was only one other person who had instant and unlimited access to his office, namely…

"Mokuba-kun," Yuugi said and felt his cheeks redden in embarrassment. "I apologize," he added, "it wasn't my intention to yell."

"Oh, don't mind me," Mokuba laughed, "I'm used to hear people yell in nii-sama's office. Mostly they beg and cry how much they like to keep their job, so it's kind of refreshing that you're yelling about something else."

"I'm sorry," Yuugi muttered and stared at the floor. Mokuba had grown up, towering over Yuugi and quickly rising to the same height as his older brother. Surprisingly, he wasn't interested that much in the corporate world. He was involved with KaibaCorp.'s marketing and PR strategies, but he didn't hold a full-time position. His official business card still listed him as Vice President, though.

"What are you doing here?" Kaiba's voice was softer when his brother was involved. "You had school today…"

"One of the senseis was sick, so we were sent home earlier." Mokuba grinned and hopped on the desk. Kaiba muttered something under his breath about 'private schools' and the 'wasted tuition money'. "So, what's the big deal here?"

"I'll go to my office," Yuugi said, assuming that the two brothers wanted to talk in private. By retreating, he hoped to calm himself down before he blurted out something that he would regret even more. "If you'll excuse me…"

"Oh no, Yuugi, stay! I haven't seen you in so long. Everything okay with Jounouchi and the others?"

"Yes, certainly," Yuugi beamed in return. He loved talking about his friends and he ignored a groaning Kaiba who buried his head into his hands. Quickly, he brought Mokuba up to speed about his friends and his own life, talking about the upcoming addition to the family.

"Wow, the third one already," Mokuba said. He looked over his shoulder at his brother, who was pointedly tapping on his watch. "Quit it, nii-sama, you don't have any more meetings for the day. Don't be so rude."

Only Mokuba got away with his life saying that, and Yuugi couldn't help but chuckle at the look on Kaiba's face.

"So, you were yelling about your third kid, Yuugi?"

"The adoption procedure went much quicker than we expected," Yuugi said. "Mou hi.. I mean, Atemu-san didn't think either that it would go so fast! We have to be at the agency next week, so I was requesting your brot.. Kaiba-kun to start my paternity leave…"

"Oh I get it, it coincides with the convention," Mokuba was quick to figure the problem out. He frowned. "Well, it would be in KaibaCorp.'s best interests to have the head designer and developer present. I see your point, nii-sama."

"Well, it's about time someone did," Kaiba snorted.

"I said that I saw your point, not that I agreed with it." Mokuba jumped off the desk and walked towards Yuugi, whose shoulders had slumped. "It would also be in Yuugi's best interests to be present at the moment he and Atemu will welcome their third child."

"You're way too mushy, Mokuba." Kaiba's voice didn't have any malice in it, and even the irritation seemed a bit fake. Who knew that his younger brother was such a weakness? Yuugi regretted the harsh words he had spoken earlier.

"Let's make a deal here," Mokuba winked at Yuugi. "What if we cram all your presentations and press conferences into two days, instead of four days of convention? That way you can be home with your kid, and fulfill your duties for Kaiba Corp.. How about that?"

"Deal," Yuugi said and reached out his hand. Mokuba was quick to grab it.

"I didn't agree to such a deal!" Kaiba bellowed from behind his desk. "One day to pick up the kid, three days at the convention! Three!"

"Too late, nii-sama," Mokuba stuck out his tongue, "as KaibaCorp.'s Vice President I have the official power to make deals like this. Unless you want to overrule my decision?"

"I didn't know you were going to law school, Mokuba-kun," Yuugi said.

"I'm not." Mokuba shrugged and made a quick face at Kaiba. "I haven't decided yet on what I'm going to do. Nii-sama thinks that law school is a good choice, but I don't know."

Yuugi knew a little about the Kaiba brothers' backstory, in which their adoptive father had been very cruel in his tutelage. Mokuba had been spared the harsh lessons his brother had to learn, and Yuugi was glad that Kaiba left Mokuba the freedom to make his own choices and follow his own dreams, instead of being forced into a certain direction. Kaiba pretended not to listen in on their conversation, but Yuugi could see how his fingers hovered over the keyboard, instead of typing away.

"Please accept my apologies, Kaiba-kun," Yuugi said again. "About what I said earlier."

It was typical of Kaiba to make a dismissive gesture with his hand. Mokuba clasped Yuugi at the shoulder.

"Thank you, Mokuba-kun."

"Don't worry about it," Mokuba said. "Give my regards to the gang when you see them again, okay?"

"Yes, I will," Yuugi said and thanked him once more, before taking his leave. It was a bummer that he still had to spend two days at the convention, but his paternity leave was granted, and that evened out the balance. He owed Mokuba big time.

* * *

Oshimuru was common ground. The adoption agency had proved to be very trustworthy, offering excellent advice and guidance before, during and after the adoption. After Tzuziko and Kazuo, Atemu's and Yuugi's excellent records spoke for themselves. Yuugi was glad that Oshimuru had so much faith in them. Despite all the praise for the agency, their interior decorator had taken a permanent leave of absence; the offices were still as depressing as ever with walls and floors painted dark grey, no plants, no piece of art on the walls, harsh, bright tube lights and the majority of the employees walking around with stern, overly calm and composed faces.

The letter that the agency had sent them only revealed the gender of the child and that her name was Akina. Mutou Akina, it sounded perfect to him. Ever since the later had arrived, Yuugi had grown nervous and excited, as The Day grew nearer. As always, Atemu was calm. The only thing giving his tension away was his overly rigid posture and his fingers smoothing out every non-existant wrinkle in his pants. Yuugi badly wanted to take Atemu's hand, to hug him, to comfort him as he needed comfort himself, but they had agreed on no public displays of affection. To the agency, Atemu was a single parent and Yuugi was his brother. It felt bad to lie, but to Yuugi, the end justified the means.

"Mutou-san?"

Atemu quickly rose to his feet, Yuugi following suit. They had arrived alone, leaving Tzuziko and Kazuo in the care of Yuugi's mother; ironically, Oshimuru wasn't a really kid-friendly environment. The case worker looked over the rim of her big glasses, an impatient scowl on her lips. A little hesitant, Atemu went into the office, almost afraid of hearing bad news. Yuugi followed him close.

In the woman's office, Atemu had to answer a few more questions and sign another stack of papers to make the adoption official. Yuugi kept himself calm by staring at a slightly darker dot on the wall, otherwise he would've bounced out of his chair by sheer anxiety. Finally, the door to the office went open again and another case worker came in with…

"She's a baby," Yuugi said and immediately he could slap himself silly.

"What else did you expect, Mutou-san?" This case worker was amused, a rare sight.

"Our previous children were already over twelve months old," he quickly explained, "we weren't counting on this young of a baby…but she's more than welcome, of course!"

She couldn't be over two months, Yuugi was sure of it. Atemu had never indicated any age preference. How could such a young baby be rewarded to them?

"Akina-chan was found on the doorstep," the case worker said as she laid the baby in Atemu's arms. Yuugi wondered how she could keep her voice so calm and emotionless like this, when confronted with such cruelty. "Mutou-san, you have excellent records, and when you indicated you wanted to start up another procedure, we knew that she was the one for you."

Atemu was already and completely sold. With the awe and love on his face, he looked wonderful.

"Thank you, thank you," he repeated. Yuugi felt bad that he had wanted to deny Atemu this at first. The former Pharaoh was so enamored with the baby that he didn't want to give her out of his hands. Slightly amused, Yuugi had to think back to the day when they had picked up Tzuziko and he hadn't been willing to part with the child, and Atemu had to drive home. Now the situation was reversed, but Yuugi was all too happy to whip out his car keys and leave the agency. It was time to go home.

* * *

The GameShop-turned-antiquity store building was still the home of the Mutou family. Yusuke was waiting outside, together with Tzuziko and Kazuo for the new addition to the family arrive.

"Yuugi-kun!" Yusuke hadn't expected her son to return home with a baby either, but smiled, immediately smitten. "I'm so glad to see everything went all right," she said, "there's tea and cake whenever you feel ready."

Yuugi nodded and followed Atemu upstairs to the bedroom they had prepared. Atemu had to make slight adjustments to the bed to suit the baby better. Tzuziko and Kazuo followed into the room, Kazuo complaining that he wanted cake now. Atemu put Akina in the bed, carefully lying her down.

Tzuziko inspected the baby, counted the fingers and toes, and marveled at how tiny she was. Kazuo spared Akina one look, snorted and kicked the bed. Yuugi quickly pulled him away but Atemu totally missed it.

"What do you think of your sister, Tzuziko-chan?" Yuugi asked.

"She's so tiny," Tzuziko said, looking over the thick frame of her glasses. "Was I that small too, Yami Papa?"

"You were once that small too," Atemu confirmed. She looked as if in horror, as she was taking pride in her height. She was slightly taller than the average girls in her classes.

"And you, Kazuo-kun?" Yuugi asked.

"Stupid girl,' Kazuo said. "Girls are stupid! I want cake!" He looked about ready to kick the bed again, but Yusuke was faster. Yuugi's mother had silently entered the room, not wanting to disturb the peaceful scenery.

"Why don't we go ahead, Kazuo-kun," she said and coaxed the boy out of the room. "You can help me with serving!"

Atemu was taking the baby in, his slender fingers trailing Akina's soft cheek. Yuugi let him be. He didn't know why he was so…aloof all of the sudden. Akina had stolen his heart, no doubt about it, but for some reason he couldn't muster up the energy and the enthusiasm. Yuugi felt ashamed. How could this be? He loved his children, all of his children, so much…but he couldn't bring himself to touch the baby. So he left the touching and cuddling to Atemu, who seemed to be very satisfied. Tzuziko was watching, also taking in every movement and every reaction of the baby in a scientific-interest-kind-of-way.

By all means, it should've been a tranquil and peaceful picture, but Yuugi felt suddenly like the third wheel, superfluous. He sneaked out of the room and went down the stairs, where he saw his mother and Kazuo busy with the cake and tea. He wasn't feeling any for it, but his mother just looked at him, locking her eyes with his. There was no judgment or condemnation in her eyes, just a soft, knowing smile on her face. She didn't press him to sit down and have tea, figuring he wanted to be left alone for now. Yuugi was grateful. He just needed a few minutes to himself.

If Atemu had already noticed Yuugi's sudden sullenness, he didn't let it show. That evening, he promptly fell asleep sooner than Yuugi; a rare occasion. It was strange to hear Atemu snore softly while he, Yuugi, was awake. He stared in front of him, the moonlight seeping in through the window, and he didn't know what or how he was feeling. It was some kind of embarrassment, and it weighed heavy on him. He wanted to feel happiness, not this heavy weight on his shoulders.

* * *

"You look great, Anzu," Yuugi said as he embraced her. The hug went a little awkward, as she was in the latest term of her pregnancy and her belly was huge.

"I know what you're thinking, and no, I'm not expecting twins," she said. She winked at Yuugi with that flirty tone that was so common between them. Anzu pointed at the delicious cake on the plate in front of her, with an enormous topping of whipped cream. "I'm expecting extra pounds," she joked, "because I've been really letting myself go. I had to watch everything I ate so strictly while at dance school, that I don't care right now."

"And what if you've gotten the baby?" Yuugi asked.

"I must get myself back into shape, of course," Anzu said and helped herself to even more whipped cream. "I do want to get back to dancing."

"I'm sure your comeback will be glorious," Yuugi said.

"Can you believe it? Only 28 and talking about a comeback," Anzu said demurely. She smiled though, indicating that she wasn't very serious at the moment. Yuugi snickered and picked up his cup of tea. "But I'm sure that my dancing wasn't the point of you visiting me," she said, in all seriousness. Yuugi didn't bother to hide it. They were best friends after all. Anzu had noticed that special tone in Yuugi's voice when he had called, and she had made sure that he could see her as soon as possible, and that they wouldn't be interrupted.

"I feel very ashamed," Yuugi said as he looked at his tea cup, "because I don't feel much joy when it comes to the baby. I'm afraid… I'm afraid that I'm going to end up like my father, not caring, and not being there for the kids."

"Do you wish you hadn't gone through with the adoption after all?" Anzu asked.

"No!" Yuugi shot up straight in his chair.

"That's enough answer for you," Anzu smiled. "If you were really regretting the adoption, you wouldn't have said 'no'. I don't think your problem is as much as with Akina arriving, but probably with your own position in the family," she said. "You feel the responsibility, and you want to take care of them all. Or are you feeling left out, because of Atemu taking care of the kids and you spending time at the office?"

"A little, yes," Yuugi admitted. It was of no use to lie about that. The two days at the convention had been hell, he had longed to be at home so much. "I love him with all my heart and soul. I love my children with heart and soul. I'm afraid of missing out. Maybe I'm jealous. Maybe I do want to say "screw you and your job, Kaiba-kun" and quit."

Anzu reached over the table to pat his hand. "You know that quitting isn't an option, Yuugi," she said. "Atemu-san's antiquity store isn't profitable enough, and well, you do have a large family to feed." She patted her own belly. "I understand, of course. I have talked about this to Warimi, and he says the same thing as you. Constantly being at work, afraid of missing out, wondering if he'll ever be a good father…"

"My father doesn't even bother to call," Yuugi said. "With all these modern means of communication, he still doesn't stay in touch!"

Anzu shook her head. "You're not your father. You don't look like him in the least! You fulfill your responsibility as head of the family, you _take _responsibility. I don't know what happened to your father either, Yuugi. It must be so hard for your mother."

"She barely mentions him anymore." Yuugi kept staring at his tea. "I enjoy my work so much, I love what I do for a living, despite the stress, despite the tension, despite the deadlines… but when I come home, I see a tired boyfriend and the kids are already in bed. I get only to hear the stories about destruction, mayhem…"

"And love and sharing and fun," Anzu said. Yuugi nodded. He felt like he was going to cry. Anzu hadn't let go of his hand. "You're there for them when it counts, Yuugi. When it really matters, and that's the most important thing. You're there for them in your free time and the weekends, but you're also _there _- you were there when Tzuziko won that science fair for children under the age of 10. You were there for Kazuo's first swimming lesson. You were there at their first day of school. Don't sell yourself short, Yuugi. You're doing the best you can, with all the responsibilities and obligations you have."

"Then why am I having so much trouble..? I mean, Akina is such a lovely, good baby, she's perfect, and I just can't muster up the energy to hold her."

"I'm not a professional psychologist," Anzu said. "I think you still need to settle in now that the family dynamics have changed again. I also think there's nothing wrong with consulting a professional if you keep feeling this way. Please Yuugi, promise me that you'll keep talking about it, instead of closing yourself off. No one should have to deal with such feelings all on his own. You've talked to Atemu-san about it?"

"I don't dare," Yuugi whispered. "He's so happy, Anzu. He's so in love, with Akina, with me, with the family. I don't want to bother him with this. I don't want him to be disappointed with me."

"I do believe he's going to be rather disappointed if the man he loves, doesn't confide in him," Anzu said briskly. Yuugi had to agree. He had never kept something from Atemu, and it was never a good time to start. "I appreciate that you want to share with me," she continued, "but he needs to know, Yuugi. It wouldn't be fair."

"Maybe I just need a little rest."

"Don't try to change the topic, Mutou Yuugi. You're not crafty enough."

"Thank you," Yuugi said. "For listening to me."

"Anytime." She let go of his hand, after another pat. "You can talk to me anytime about anything, you know that. I want you to keep talking, no wallowing in silence, got it?"

"Got it!" He beamed at her and drank the last of his tea, that had gotten cold during the conversation. Anzu returned the smile, putting her hand on her belly.

"No one said that life was easy," she said, voice soft. "But we can make it easier for ourselves, sharing with our friends and family."

"Sharing with our friends and family," Yuugi repeated. His confidence was boosted. When it was time to go home, he would come home open to his family, trusting and putting his faith in the future.


End file.
